CVE-2022-29164

Argo Workflows is an open source container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs on Kubernetes.

• The attacker creates a workflow that produces a HTML artifact that contains a HTML file that contains a script which uses XHR calls to interact with the Argo Server API.
• The attacker emails the deep-link to the artifact to their victim. The victim opens the link, the script starts running.

As the script has access to the Argo Server API (as the victim), so may do the following (if the victim may):

• Read information about the victim’s workflows.
• Create or delete workflows.

Notes:

• The attacker must be an insider: they must have access to the same cluster as the victim and must already be able to run their own workflows.
• The attacker must have an understanding of the victim’s system. They won’t be able to repeatedly probe due to the social engineering aspect.
• The attacker is likely leave an audit trail.

We have seen no evidence of this in the wild. While the impact is high, it is very hard to exploit.

We urge all users to upgrade to the fixed versions. Disabling the Argo Server is the only known workaround. Note version 2.12 has been out of support for sometime. No fix is currently planned.

The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.

CVE-2022-29164 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.2.11, 3.3.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2022-29164? CVE-2022-29164 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 (go), affecting versions >= 2.6.0, < 3.2.11. It is fixed in 3.2.11, 3.3.5. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-29164? CVE-2022-29164 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 are affected by CVE-2022-29164? github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 (go) versions >= 2.6.0, < 3.2.11 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-29164? Yes. CVE-2022-29164 is fixed in 3.2.11, 3.3.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-29164 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-29164 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-29164 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-29164?
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 to 3.2.11 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 to 3.3.5 or later