CVE-2023-22946 — spark-core_2.12
MEDIUMCVE-2023-22946 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.4) Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12. A fix is available for org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Apache Spark proxy-user privilege escalation from malicious configuration class
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-22946.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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-2023-22946 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12☕org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.13🐍pysparkReal-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
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.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12 | all versions | 3.3.3org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12:3.3.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.13 | all versions | 3.3.3org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.13:3.3.3 |
| 🐍PyPI | pyspark | all versions | 3.3.2pip install --upgrade 'pyspark==3.3.2' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12 to 3.3.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-22946 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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 O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-22946 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-22946. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-22946 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-22946 across Maven, PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.