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SparkApplication · Apache

CVE-2023-22946

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.4.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 versions prior to 3.4.0, applications using spark-submit can specify a 'proxy-user' to run as, limiting privileges. The application can execute code with the privileges of the submitting user, however, by providing malicious configuration-related classes on the classpath. This affects architectures relying on proxy-user, for example those using Apache Livy to manage submitted applications. Update to Apache Spark 3.4.0 or later, and ensure that spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode is set to its default of "false", and is not overridden by submitted applications.

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

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Apache Spark where applications using spark-submit with proxy-user can bypass privilege restrictions by providing malicious configuration-related classes on the classpath. This allows code execution with the submitting user's full privileges instead of the limited proxy-user privileges, severely impacting architectures using Apache Livy to manage submissions.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Spark 3.4.0 or later and verify that the configuration property spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode remains at its default value of 'false' and cannot be overridden by submitted applications.

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:< 3.4.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 installed Apache Spark version
    Run 'spark-submit --version' or check the Spark installation directory for the version file. Common paths include /usr/local/spark or the SPARK_HOME environment variable.
    Affected if The installed version is Apache Spark below 3.4.0
  2. Verify proxy-user functionality is in use
    Review application deployment configurations, scripts, or Apache Livy submissions that use the --proxy-user parameter with spark-submit.
    Affected if Applications or services submit jobs using the --proxy-user option to impersonate other users
  3. Check the allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode configuration
    Inspect the Spark configuration file (spark-defaults.conf) or runtime configuration settings for the property 'spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode'. Run 'spark-submit --conf spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode' to query the current value.
    Affected if The property is set to 'true' or is not explicitly set to 'false' (allowing it to be overridden by submitted applications) in Spark versions prior to 3.4.0
  4. Inspect submitted application classpaths
    Review job submission logs or audit records to identify if any submitted applications include custom classes or JARs on the classpath via --conf or --py-files options when using proxy-user.
    Affected if Applications submitted with --proxy-user also include custom classpath configurations or additional JAR files that could contain malicious configuration-related classes

You are affected if running Apache Spark version低于3.4.0 with proxy-user submissions where the spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode setting can be controlled by submitted applications.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.4.0 or later
Fixed in 3.4.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Spark 3.4.0 or later and verify that the configuration property spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode remains at its default value of 'false' and cannot be overridden by submitted applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Spark 3.4.0 or later

  1. Upgrade Apache Spark to version 3.4.0 or later
  2. Verify that spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode is set to "false" in spark-defaults.conf (this is the default value)
  3. Ensure that submitted applications cannot override the spark.submit.proxyUser.allowCustomClasspathInClusterMode configuration option by setting it at the cluster level
Caveat Review Apache Spark 3.4.0 release notes for breaking changes between your current version and 3.4.0

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Spark Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation20.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,680
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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-2023-22946 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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