CVE-2026-45738
Argo CD: Stored XSS in application link annotations enables developer-to-admin privilege escalation
No known exploitation. EPSS puts it in the 47th percentile. A vendor fix is available.
What to do
The vendor has published a fix. Version details are below where the sources state them.
Steps
Written by AI from the record- Check whether you run Argo CD and whether any non-admin users can edit application links.
- Upgrade to 3.2.12, 3.3.10, or 3.4.2, depending on your current release branch.
- Until upgraded, remove untrusted application-link annotations and restrict application write access to trusted administrators.
- Review administrator activity and application changes after the upgrade.
What it is
From the CVE record
Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Prior to 3.2.12, 3.3.10, and 3.4.2, Argo CD users with application write access can set link.argocd.argoproj.io/* annotations whose pipe-separated values are rendered by ui/src/app/applications/components/application-summary/application-summary.tsx in the Summary tab URLs section as anchor href values without URL validation, allowing javascript: execution in a higher-privileged user's authenticated Argo CD origin session. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.12, 3.3.10, and 3.4.2.
In plain language
Written by AI from the recordArgo CD versions before 3.2.12, 3.3.10, and 3.4.2 can let a developer trick an administrator into handing over control, so businesses running it should update.
Stored XSS in Argo CD application-link annotations permits an application writer to execute attacker-controlled JavaScript in an administrator's authenticated browser session.
If you're affected
- Administrator account takeover
- Deployment configuration changes
- Cluster access exposure
- Service disruption
Exploitation
Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.
- CISA KEV
Not in the catalog. CISA has not confirmed exploitation.
- Public exploits
No public exploit or proof of concept found in the sources we track.
- EPSS
0.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 47th percentile of scored CVEs.
Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.
Lifecycle
7 events over 5 days, from the signal feeds we watch.
- Patch availablerecord updated
- Record updated
- Publishedweakness classified, att&ck mapped, record updated
Affected products
Technical detail
CVSS 3.1 vector
Open in the CVSS calculatorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Scored 7.3 by NVD.
How it is reached
- Attack Vector NetworkExploitable remotely over the network without any special conditions
- Attack Complexity LowNo special conditions — the attack can be reliably reproduced
- Privileges Required LowRequires basic user-level privileges
- User Interaction RequiredA user must click a link, open a file, or perform some action
Scope
- Scope UnchangedImpact is limited to the vulnerable component itself
Impact if exploited
- Confidentiality HighTotal information disclosure — all data in the component is compromised
- Integrity HighTotal loss of integrity — attacker can modify any data in the component
- Availability NoneNo availability impact
Weaknesses
ATT&CK techniques
Mapped from the weaknesses above (CWE to ATT&CK), not observed in attacks.
Sources
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