How severe is CVE-2022-33891?

CVE-2022-33891 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-33891?

CVE-2022-33891 affects the following packages: org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12 (Maven), org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12 (Maven), pyspark (PyPI), pyspark (PyPI). Ecosystems affected: Maven, PyPI.

How do I fix CVE-2022-33891?

No patched version of org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12 has shipped for CVE-2022-33891 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.

How do I detect CVE-2022-33891 in my Maven, PyPI dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2022-33891 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2022-33891?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2022-33891 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2022-33891 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 13 known exploit references for CVE-2022-33891, including 9 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2022-33891?

CVE-2022-33891 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 93.1%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2022-33891?

CVE-2022-33891 is classified as OS Command Injection (CWE-78). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2022-33891?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2022-33891, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2022-33891 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2022-33891 was published on July 18, 2022 and was last updated on August 12, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven🐍 PyPI

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2022-33891

HIGH

CVE-2022-33891 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) OS Command Injection vulnerability in org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12. 13 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2022-33891 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

Apache Spark shell command injection vulnerability via Spark UI

Also known asBIT-spark-2022-33891GHSA-4x9r-j582-cgr8PYSEC-2022-236

Published

Jul 18, 2022

Updated

Aug 12, 2026

Affected

4 pkgs

Patched

3 / 4

Exploits

13 known

Exploitation data as of Sep 5, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

CISA’s SSVC triage classifies this CVE as under active exploitation.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-33891.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

93.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2022-33891 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE sits: patch-first territory.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 0 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.

Real-World Exposure

4 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12☕org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12🐍pyspark🐍pyspark

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven, PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

The Apache Spark UI offers the possibility to enable ACLs via the configuration option spark.acls.enable. With an authentication filter, this checks whether a user has access permissions to view or modify the application. If ACLs are enabled, a code path in HttpSecurityFilter can allow someone to perform impersonation by providing an arbitrary user name. A malicious user might then be able to reach a permission check function that will ultimately build a Unix shell command based on their input, and execute it. This will result in arbitrary shell command execution as the user Spark is currently running as. This affects Apache Spark versions 3.0.3 and earlier, versions 3.1.1 to 3.1.2, and versions 3.2.0 to 3.2.1.

Affected Packages

4 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12`	all versions	No fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12`	≥ 3.1.1&&< 3.2.2	3.2.2
🐍PyPI	`pyspark`	all versions	3.1.3
🐍PyPI	`pyspark`	≥ 3.2.0&&< 3.2.2	3.2.2

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.