What is CVE-2018-11770?A medium-severity flaw in Spark, explained.
CVE-2018-11770 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.2) in Spark from Apache, published on 13 August 2018. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 66%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.
Published 13 August 2018. Record last updated 10 June 2024. We keep this page's data up to date.
What is CVE-2018-11770? In plain terms.
It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read some data and change some data.
From version 1.3.0 onward, Apache Spark's standalone master exposes a REST API for job submission, in addition to the submission mechanism used by spark-submit. In standalone, the config property 'spark.authenticate.secret' establishes a shared secret for authenticating requests to submit jobs via spark-submit. However, the REST API does not use this or any other authentication mechanism, and this is not adequately documented. In this case, a user would be able to run a driver program without authenticating, but not launch executors, using the REST API. This REST API is also used by Mesos, when set up to run in cluster mode (i.e., when also running MesosClusterDispatcher), for job submission. Future versions of Spark will improve documentation on these points, and prohibit setting 'spark.authenticate.secret' when running the REST APIs, to make this clear. Future versions will also disable the REST API by default in the standalone master by changing the default value of 'spark.master.rest.enabled' to 'false'.
What kind of flaw is it?
- CWE-287Improper Authentication
How an attack on it works
Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.
- Where an attacker can beAnywhere on the internet
- How hard it is to pull offHard: conditions must line up
- Login needed firstAn ordinary user account
- Does someone have to clickNo, nobody has to do anything
- What an attacker getsCan read some data and change some data
Severity vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Is CVE-2018-11770 being exploited? Not that we know of.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 66%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
Timeline
- Published
- Record last updated
- Exploit likelihood fell
CVE-2018-11770 scores 45. Action: Plan remediation.
We keep the score of every published flaw up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, and evidence that criminals are actually using it counts most. In order:
- Evidence it is being exploitedBiggest factor
- How severe it isStrong factor
- How widely exposed it isSmaller factor
- Threat activity around itSmaller factor
85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score.
When CVE-2018-11770 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.
See your own ranked list →Who is affected by CVE-2018-11770? One product.
The published record lists 1 product from 1 vendor. Versions are shown as published: "1.3.0 to before 2.4.0" means from 1.3.0 up to, but not including, 2.4.0. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.
How do I fix CVE-2018-11770? Four steps.
- Check whether you run itCompare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
- Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the update named in the vendor’s advisory. We’ve put the advisory first in the list.
- If you can’t patch todayFollow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
- Keep an eye on itTrack the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.
Does CVE-2018-11770 affect you? We'll keep checking.
Looking flaws up one at a time doesn't scale. Tell us what you run once, and we tell you which flaws matter to you, in what order, and keep watching for new ones.
- Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
- We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
- Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
- Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
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1 new flaw affects software Acme tracks
From version 1.3.0 onward, Apache Spark's standalone master exposes a REST API for job submission, in addition to the submission mechanism used by spark-subm...
- Matched to
- Spark on Acme's software list
- What to do
- Plan in the vendor’s update
Sent to the alert recipients Acme chose. Also in the app and to Acme's webhook.
CVE-2018-11770 is a medium-severity flaw in Spark from Apache, published on 13 August 2018. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read some data and change some data.
It scores 4.2 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2018-11770 is 45 out of 100, which is Medium. Its action is "Plan remediation". Not confirmed as exploited yet, but serious or likely enough that it should not wait for a quiet month.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 66%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
For Spark from Apache: 1.3.0 to before 2.4.0.
Install the update the vendor names in its advisory, linked first under "How do I fix" on this page. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.