SparkApplication · Apache
CVE-2018-11760
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 · uneditedWhen using PySpark , it's possible for a different local user to connect to the Spark application and impersonate the user running the Spark application. This affects versions 1.x, 2.0.x, 2.1.x, 2.2.0 to 2.2.2, and 2.3.0 to 2.3.1.
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 confidenceIn Apache PySpark, the Spark application does not properly authenticate incoming local connections, allowing any local user to connect and impersonate the user running the Spark application. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability where authentication controls can be bypassed.
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
>= 1.0.2, <= 1.6.3>= 2.0.0, <= 2.0.2>= 2.1.0, <= 2.1.3>= 2.2.0, <= 2.2.2>= 2.3.0, <= 2.3.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed PySpark versionRun 'pip show pyspark' or 'python -c import pyspark; print(pyspark.__version__)' to get the version numberAffected if The version falls within 1.0.2-1.6.3, 2.0.0-2.0.2, 2.1.0-2.1.3, 2.2.0-2.2.2, or 2.3.0-2.3.1
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Confirm Spark is running and accessibleCheck if Spark processes are listening on network ports by running 'netstat -tlnp | grep -E "(7078|4040|8080)"' or checking for java processes related to SparkAffected if Spark is running and bound to network interfaces accessible to other local users
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Verify authentication configurationInspect Spark configuration files (spark-defaults.conf, spark-env.sh) for authentication settings like 'spark.authenticate' and 'spark.acls.enable'Affected if No authentication is configured or 'spark.authenticate' is not set to true
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Check if local connections bypass authenticationAttempt to connect to Spark from localhost without credentials using pyspark or spark-shell to test if authentication is enforcedAffected if Connection succeeds without requiring any authentication credentials from a local user account
You are affected if running any vulnerable Spark version listed AND the application accepts connections without enforcing authentication, allowing any local user to potentially impersonate the Spark application owner.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade PySpark to version 2.2.3, 2.3.2, or later which contain the fix. Alternatively, implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms for Spark applications if upgrading is not immediately feasible.
Fix this in Spark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11760 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-11760 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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