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.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://lists.apache.org/thread/zrgyy9l85nm2c7vk36vr7bkyorg3w4qq | Mailing List Vendor Advisory |
Configurations
Configuration 1 (hide)
|
History
20 Oct 2025, 15:19
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| First Time |
Apache
Apache spark |
|
| CPE | cpe:2.3:a:apache:spark:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| References | () https://lists.apache.org/thread/zrgyy9l85nm2c7vk36vr7bkyorg3w4qq - Mailing List, Vendor Advisory |
15 Oct 2025, 20:15
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CVSS |
v2 : v3 : |
v2 : unknown
v3 : 6.5 |
15 Oct 2025, 08:15
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| New CVE |
Information
Published : 2025-10-15 08:15
Updated : 2025-10-20 15:19
NVD link : CVE-2025-55039
Mitre link : CVE-2025-55039
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2025-55039
JSON object : View
Products Affected
apache
- spark