CVE-2020-9480

CVE-2020-9480 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Spark with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 29% places it in the 98th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-306.

Key facts

Description

In Apache Spark 2.4.5 and earlier, a standalone resource manager's master may be configured to require authentication (spark.authenticate) via a shared secret. When enabled, however, a specially-crafted RPC to the master can succeed in starting an application's resources on the Spark cluster, even without the shared key. This can be leveraged to execute shell commands on the host machine. This does not affect Spark clusters using other resource managers (YARN, Mesos, etc).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-9480?
In Apache Spark 2.4.5 and earlier, a standalone resource manager's master may be configured to require authentication (spark.authenticate) via a shared secret. When enabled, however, a specially-crafted RPC to the master can succeed in starting an application's resources on the Spark cluster, even without the shared key. This can be leveraged to execute shell commands on the host machine. This does not affect Spark clusters using other resource managers (YARN, Mesos, etc).
How severe is CVE-2020-9480?
CVE-2020-9480 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-9480 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 29% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-9480?
CVE-2020-9480 primarily affects Apache Spark. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-9480?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-9480 published?
CVE-2020-9480 was published on 2020-06-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

More vulnerabilities in Apache Spark

All CVEs affecting Apache Spark →

Other CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function) vulnerabilities →