argo-cd: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE-2026-42880 is a critical-severity exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor vulnerability in argo-cd from Argoproj, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.6 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected argo-cd versions: >= 3.2.0, < 3.2.11; >= 3.3.0, < 3.3.9. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.65% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 52% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Check which version of argo-cd you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argoproj | argo-cd | >= 3.2.0, < 3.2.11; >= 3.3.0, < 3.3.9 | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.19 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.20 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by CNA (github.com).
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.6 | Critical | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.7 | High | CNA |
Official description
Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. From versions 3.2.0 to before 3.2.11 and 3.3.0 to before 3.3.9, there is a missing authorization and data-masking gap in Argo CD's ServerSideDiff endpoint that allows an attacker with read-only access to extract plaintext Kubernetes Secret data from etcd via the Kubernetes API server's Server-Side Apply dry-run mechanism. This issue has been patched in versions 3.2.11 and 3.3.9.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.
More Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerabilities (CWE-200)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in argo-cd
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
Recent Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerabilities
- 8.6 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.