Apache Spark supports end-to-end encryption of RPC connections via "spark.authenticate" and "spark.network.crypto.enabled". In versions 3.1.2 and earlier, it uses a bespoke mutual authentication protocol that allows for full encryption key recovery. After an initial interactive attack, this would allow someone to decrypt plaintext traffic offline. Note that this does not affect security mechanisms controlled by "spark.authenticate.enableSaslEncryption", "spark.io.encryption.enabled", "spark.ssl", "spark.ui.strictTransportSecurity". Update to Apache Spark 3.1.3 or later
CVE-2021-38296
This high-severity CVE scores 7.5 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 2.1%, top 16% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.5
- EG Score
- 7.5(medium)
- EPSS
- 76.1%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
March 10, 2022
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (4)
- security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread/70x8fw2gx3g9ty7yk0f2f1dlpqml2smd
- security@apachehttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://lists.apache.org/thread/70x8fw2gx3g9ty7yk0f2f1dlpqml2smd
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html
Affected Packages
(2 across 2 ecosystems)
Maven(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| org.apache.spark:spark-core | — | 3.1.3 | — |
PyPI(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| pyspark | 2.1.1 ... 3.1.2 (27 versions) | 3.1.3 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 45× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-11 08:25 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-26 07:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 02:00 UTCEG score recompute
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-294
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-38296?
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Dependency Blast Radius
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