CVE-2022-31102

Workarounds

There is no workaround besides upgrading.

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.

For more information

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

All versions of Argo CD starting with 2.3.0 are vulnerable to a cross-site scripting (XSS) bug which could allow an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript in the /auth/callback page in a victim's browser.

This vulnerability only affects Argo CD instances which have SSO enabled.

The exploit also assumes the attacker has 1) access to the API server's encryption key, 2) a method to add a cookie to the victim's browser, and 3) the ability to convince the victim to visit a malicious /auth/callback link.

The vulnerability is classified as low severity, because access to the API server's encryption key already grants a high level of access. Exploiting the XSS would allow the attacker to impersonate the victim, but would not grant any privileges which the attacker could not otherwise gain using the encryption key.

Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.

CVE-2022-31102 has a CVSS score of 2.6 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (2.3.6, 2.4.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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

• v2.4.5
• v2.3.6

1. What is CVE-2022-31102? CVE-2022-31102 is a low-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (go), affecting versions >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.6. It is fixed in 2.3.6, 2.4.5. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-31102? CVE-2022-31102 has a CVSS score of 2.6 (Low). 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-cd are affected by CVE-2022-31102? github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (go) versions >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.6 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-31102? Yes. CVE-2022-31102 is fixed in 2.3.6, 2.4.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-31102 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-31102 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-2022-31102 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-2022-31102?
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd to 2.3.6 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd to 2.4.5 or later