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CVE-2022-33891 Apache Spark: Emulation and Detection

On July 18, 2022, Apache issued a security advisory regarding a recently discovered command injection vulnerability (CVE-2022-33891) in Apache Spark versions 3.0.3 and below, that when exploited allows threat actors to execute arbitrary commands. In this lab, we will learn how to detect, exploit, and mitigate attacks against vulnerable instances of Apache Spark.

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Lab Info
Level
Advanced
Last updated
Jul 30, 2025
Duration
1h 25m

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Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Getting Started in the Lab Environment

    Here are the initial instructions and explanation of the lab environment. Read this while your environment is busy creating itself from nothing. Yes, this violates physics; we know. How fun!

  2. Challenge

    Emulating an Attack Against Apache Spark

    In this section, we begin with the first challenge: emulating an attack against a vulnerable instance of Apache Spark. The challenge consists of two hands-on exercises, which include initial discovery and exploitation of the vulnerability.

  3. Challenge

    Detecting Attacks Against Apache Spark

    Armed with the knowledge of how to exploit the Spark vulnerability, we're ready to proceed with the next challenge: detecting exploitation attempts. The challenge consists of a hands-on exercise, where we leverage Apache's advanced logging and security capabilities to detect real-time attacks.

  4. Challenge

    Preventing Attacks Against Apache Spark

    With the knowledge of how to perform and detect attacks against Apache Spark, we are now ready to progress to the next challenge, where we leverage Apache to prevent attacks against vulnerable Spark instances. This challenge consists of a hands-on exercise, whereby the mod-security module will be configured to prevent real-time attacks.

  5. Challenge

    The Last Challenge

    Welcome to the final challenge! This is your last chance to experiment in the environment. Clicking Finish Lab will end this little world that flittered into existence just for you.

About the author

West is an infosec professional specializing in offensive security. He serves as the team lead for the Commonwealth of Kentucky's enterprise red team and has over a decade of IT experience.

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