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SparkApplication · Apache

CVE-2017-7678

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-07-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In Apache Spark before 2.2.0, it is possible for an attacker to take advantage of a user's trust in the server to trick them into visiting a link that points to a shared Spark cluster and submits data including MHTML to the Spark master, or history server. This data, which could contain a script, would then be reflected back to the user and could be evaluated and executed by MS Windows-based clients. It is not an attack on Spark itself, but on the user, who may then execute the script inadvertently when viewing elements of the Spark web UIs.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Apache Spark before version 2.2.0 contains a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the web UI of the master and history server. Attackers can craft malicious links that submit MHTML-formatted data containing scripts to Spark endpoints; when users view the reflected content in their browser, the script executes. This targets Windows-based clients viewing Spark web UI elements.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Spark to version 2.2.0 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement output encoding for all user-supplied data rendered in the Spark master and history server web interfaces, particularly MHTML content.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
SparkApplication
Affected:<= 2.1.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Apache Spark is installed
    Check for Spark binaries or running Spark processes. Common locations include /opt/spark, /usr/local/spark, or search for spark-submit command using 'which spark-submit' or 'find / -name spark-submit 2>/dev/null'. Also check running Java processes for Spark executors.
    Affected if Spark binaries or processes are found on the system
  2. Determine the installed Apache Spark version
    Run 'spark-submit --version' or 'spark-shell --version' to display the version number. Alternatively, inspect the spark-core JAR file name in the installation directory, which typically includes the version (e.g., spark-core-2.1.1.jar).
    Affected if The displayed version is 2.1.1 or earlier (any version <= 2.1.1)
  3. Verify if Spark web UI is enabled
    Check Spark configuration files (spark-defaults.conf or spark-env.sh) for properties like spark.master.ui.enabled=true, spark.history.ui.enabled=true, or look for listening ports. Common default ports are 8080 for master UI, 8081 for worker UI, and 18080 for history server UI. Use 'netstat -tlnp | grep -E "8080|8081|18080"' to check if these ports are listening.
    Affected if The web UI ports (8080, 8081, or 18080) are open and listening, or UI is explicitly enabled in configuration
  4. Confirm web UI accessibility
    Verify that the Spark web interface can be accessed via browser. Check if the UI port is bound to a non-localhost address (0.0.0.0) or if there are firewall rules allowing access. Try accessing http://<hostname>:8080 (master) or http://<hostname>:18080 (history server) from a browser or using curl.
    Affected if The Spark web UI is reachable over the network from a Windows-based client browser

A user is affected if Apache Spark version 2.1.1 or earlier is installed AND the Spark web UI (master or history server) is enabled and accessible to Windows-based users browsing the interface.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.1.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Spark to version 2.2.0 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement output encoding for all user-supplied data rendered in the Spark master and history server web interfaces, particularly MHTML content.

Fix this in Spark Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-7678 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data