CVE-2020-9480

CRITICAL EXPLOITED IN THE WILD NUCLEI

Apache Spark <= 2.4.5 - Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via Standalone Resource Manager

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2020-9480 has been observed exploited in the wild (reported by VulnCheck KEV, InTheWild.io). EIP tracks 1 public exploit from researchers including XiaoShaYu617. A Nuclei detection template is also available.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2020-9480, targeting Apache Spark's pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability. The exploit leverages the Spark REST API to submit a malicious job, executing arbitrary commands on the target system.

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).

Exploits (1)

nomisec WORKING POC
by XiaoShaYu617 · poc
https://github.com/XiaoShaYu617/CVE-2020-9480

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2020-9480, targeting Apache Spark's pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability. The exploit leverages the Spark REST API to submit a malicious job, executing arbitrary commands on the target system.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Apache Spark <=2.4.5
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the Spark REST API endpoint · Spark cluster configured to accept remote submissions
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →

Nuclei Templates (1)

Apache Spark - Authentication Bypass
CRITICALVERIFIEDby riteshs4hu
FOFA: port="6066" && banner="Spark Master"

Scores

CVSS v3 9.8
EPSS 0.8827
EPSS Percentile 99.5%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

VulnCheck KEV 2024-05-10
InTheWild.io 2024-05-17
CWE
CWE-306
Status published
Products (4)
apache/spark < 2.4.5
oracle/business_intelligence 5.5.0.0.0
org.apache.spark/spark-parent_2.11 0 - 2.4.6Maven
pypi/pyspark 0 - 2.4.6PyPI
Published Jun 23, 2020
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026