Skip to content
Noroxi
NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

CVE-2025-55039: Apache Spark, Apache Spark: RPC encryption defaults to unauthenticated AES-CTR mode, enabling man-in-the-middle ciphertext modification attacks

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 26/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.20% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Spark 3.4.4, 3.5.2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation Apache Spark 3.4.4, 3.5.2 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

This issue affects Apache Spark versions before 3.4.4, 3.5.2 and 4.0.0. Apache Spark versions before 4.0.0, 3.5.2 and 3.4.4 use an insecure default network encryption cipher for RPC communication between nodes. When spark.network.crypto.enabled is set to true (it is set to false by default), but spark.network.crypto.cipher is not explicitly configured, Spark defaults to AES in CTR mode (AES/CTR/NoPadding), which provides encryption without authentication. This vulnerability allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to modify encrypted RPC traffic undetected by flipping bits in ciphertext, potentially compromising heartbeat messages or application data and affecting the integrity of Spark workflows. To mitigate this issue, users should either configure spark.network.crypto.cipher to AES/GCM/NoPadding to enable authenticated encryption or enable SSL encryption by setting spark.ssl.enabled to true, which provides stronger transport security.

MediumCVSS 6.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 15, 2025
Updated
Oct 8, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 10th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

26

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-55039

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for apache records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
apachespark

Check your site's encryption

This vulnerability is about certificate validation or weak cryptography. The free SSL checker tests your certificate, enabled TLS versions and weak ciphers.

Run the SSL check

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • apache sparkbefore 3.4.4
  • apache spark3.5.0 and later · before 3.5.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache Spark

    • 3.5.0 and later · before 3.5.2affected · semver
    • before 3.4.4affected · semver
    • 3.5.0 and later · before 3.5.2affected · semver
    • before 3.4.4affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Mavenorg.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.12from 3.5.0 · before 3.5.23.5.2
Mavenorg.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.12before 3.4.43.4.4
Mavenorg.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.13from 3.5.0 · before 3.5.23.5.2
Mavenorg.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.13before 3.4.43.4.4
PyPIpysparkfrom 3.5.0 · before 3.5.23.5.2
PyPIpysparkbefore 3.4.43.4.4

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2022-33891Apache Spark shell command injection vulnerability via Spark UIKEV
    93Now
  • CVE-2023-32007Apache Spark: Shell command injection via Spark UI
    58Plan
  • CVE-2020-9480In Apache Spark 2.4.5 and earlier, a standalone resource manager's master may be configured to require authentication (spark.authenticate) v
    48Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-31777Nov 1, 2022 · Apache Spark XSS vulnerability in log viewer UI Javascript
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-22946Apr 17, 2023 · Apache Spark proxy-user privilege escalation from malicious configuration class
    39Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-54920Mar 16, 2026 · Apache Spark: Spark History Server Code Execution Vulnerability
    37Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Apache Software Foundation Apache Spark3.4.4Vendor (CNA)
Apache Software Foundation Apache Spark3.5.2Vendor (CNA)
Maven:org.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.123.4.4Package registry (OSV)
Maven:org.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.123.5.2Package registry (OSV)
Maven:org.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.133.4.4Package registry (OSV)
Maven:org.apache.spark:spark-network-common_2.133.5.2Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:pyspark3.4.4Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:pyspark3.5.2Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

—

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

  • CVE-2025-54920152 days apartApache Spark: Spark History Server Code Execution Vulnerability
    37Monitor

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
low · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
none
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
Low
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-326 · Inadequate Encryption Strength

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records