CVE-2022-31036

Workarounds

• If you are using >=v2.3.0 and do not have any Helm-type Applications, disable the Helm config management tool.

Mitigations

• Avoid mounting YAML-formatted secrets as files on the repo-server.
• Upgrade to >=2.3.0 to significantly reduce the risk of leaking out-of-bounds manifest files. Starting with 2.3.0, repository paths are randomized, and read permissions are restricted when manifests are not being actively being generated. This makes it very difficult to craft and use a malicious symlink.

Best practices which can mitigate risk

• Limit who has push access to manifest repositories.
• Limit who is allowed to configure new source repositories.

Credits

Disclosed by ADA Logics in a security audit of the Argo project sponsored by CNCF and facilitated by OSTIF. Thanks to Adam Korczynski and David Korczynski for their work on the audit.

References

• List of types of Applications, including Helm-type
• RBAC documentation, showing how to limit repository permissions

For more information

• Open an issue in the Argo CD issue tracker or discussions
• Join us on Slack in channel #argo-cd

All unpatched versions of Argo CD starting with v1.3.0 are vulnerable to a symlink following bug allowing a malicious user with repository write access to leak sensitive YAML files from Argo CD's repo-server.

A malicious Argo CD user with write access for a repository which is (or may be) used in a Helm-type Application may commit a symlink which points to an out-of-bounds file. If the target file is a valid YAML file, the attacker can read the contents of that file.

Sensitive files which could be leaked include manifest files from other Applications' source repositories (potentially decrypted files, if you are using a decryption plugin) or any YAML-formatted secrets which have been mounted as files on the repo-server.

The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths. Typical impact: varies by context: data corruption, logic bypass, or denial of service.

CVE-2022-31036 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (2.1.16, 2.2.10, 2.3.5, 2.4.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

A patch for this vulnerability has been released in the following Argo CD versions:

• v2.4.1
• v2.3.5
• v2.2.10
• v2.1.16

1. What is CVE-2022-31036? CVE-2022-31036 is a medium-severity improper input validation vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (go), affecting versions >= 1.3.0, <= 1.8.7. It is fixed in 2.1.16, 2.2.10, 2.3.5, 2.4.1. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-31036? CVE-2022-31036 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2022-31036?
   • github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (go) (versions >= 1.3.0, <= 1.8.7)
   • github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (go) (versions < 2.1.16)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-31036? Yes. CVE-2022-31036 is fixed in 2.1.16, 2.2.10, 2.3.5, 2.4.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-31036 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-31036 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-2022-31036 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-2022-31036?
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd to 2.1.16 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.1.16 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.2.10 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.3.5 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.4.1 or later