CVE-2018-11760: Pyspark Pyspark User Impersonation Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fvxv-9xxr-h7wj
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CVSS 5.5
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-11760 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) pyspark user impersonation vulnerability vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Pyspark libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves pyspark user impersonation vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.2, 2.2.3.

CVE-2018-11760 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-11760
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fvxv-9xxr-h7wj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Pyspark
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-11760

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pyspark dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

pyspark fixed: 2.3.2 
pip install pyspark>=2.3.2
pyspark fixed: 2.2.3 
pip install pyspark>=2.2.3
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show pyspark

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2018-11760, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show pyspark

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pyspark in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.2), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show pyspark command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Pyspark, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

When 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.

CVE-2018-11760 Affected Pyspark Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.22.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pyspark
pypi/pyspark
PyPI
≥ 2.3.0
< 2.3.2
2.3.2
pyspark
pypi/pyspark
PyPI
≥ 1.0.2
< 2.2.3
2.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2018-11760 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11760
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-fvxv-9xxr-h7wj
Pyspark Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/spark
Pyspark Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pyspark/PYSEC-2019-169.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d015e5... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d015e56b3a3da968f86e0b6acc69f17ecc16b499389e12d8255bf6e@%3Ccommits.spark.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/a86ee93... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/a86ee93d07b6f61b82b61a28049aed311f5cc9420d26cc95f1a9de7b@%3Cuser.spark.apache.org%3E
Pyspark Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227091119/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106786
web.archive.org/web/20200925111106/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20200925111106/https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SPARK-26802

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-11760?
CVE-2018-11760 is a security vulnerability in Pyspark involving Pyspark User Impersonation Vulnerability under General Security Weakness.
Which Pyspark versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.3 across affected packages: pyspark.
What version fixes CVE-2018-11760?
Upgrading to 2.3.2, 2.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pyspark affected?
Yes, pyspark is affected in releases prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.2, 2.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-11760?
CVE-2018-11760 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-11760?
CVE-2018-11760 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2018-11760?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show pyspark'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-fvxv-9xxr-h7wj",
  "modified" : "2024-10-24T21:44:45Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-07T18:02:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-11760" ],
  "summary" : "Pyspark User Impersonation Vulnerability",
  "details" : "When 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.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "pyspark"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "pyspark"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.0.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11760"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-fvxv-9xxr-h7wj"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/spark"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pyspark/PYSEC-2019-169.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6d015e56b3a3da968f86e0b6acc69f17ecc16b499389e12d8255bf6e@%3Ccommits.spark.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/a86ee93d07b6f61b82b61a28049aed311f5cc9420d26cc95f1a9de7b@%3Cuser.spark.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227091119/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106786"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200925111106/https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SPARK-26802"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:35:31Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-02-04T17:29:00Z"
  }
}