CVE-2023-50726

Workarounds

To immediately mitigate the risk of branch protection bypass, remove applications, create RBAC access. The only way to eliminate the issue without removing RBAC access is to upgrade to a patched version.

Branch protection rules and review requirements are a great way to enforce security constraints in a GitOps environment, but they should be just one layer in a multi-layered approach. Make sure your AppProject and RBAC restrictions are as thorough as possible to prevent a review bypass vulnerability from permitting excessive damage.

References

• Argo CD RBAC documentation

For more information

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

"Local sync" is an Argo CD feature that allows developers to temporarily override an Application's manifests with locally-defined manifests. Use of the feature should generally be limited to highly-trusted users, since it allows the user to bypass any merge protections in git.

An improper validation bug allows users who have create privileges but not override privileges to sync local manifests on app creation. All other restrictions, including AppProject restrictions are still enforced. The only restriction which is not enforced is that the manifests come from some approved git/Helm/OCI source.

The bug was introduced in 1.2.0-rc1 when the local manifest sync feature was added.

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-2023-50726 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (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 (2.9.8, 2.10.3, 2.8.12); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

The bug has been patched in the following versions:

• 2.10.3
• 2.9.8
• 2.8.12

1. What is CVE-2023-50726? CVE-2023-50726 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (go), affecting versions >= 1.2.0-rc1, <= 1.8.7. It is fixed in 2.9.8, 2.10.3, 2.8.12. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-50726? CVE-2023-50726 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (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-2023-50726?
   • github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (go) (versions >= 1.2.0-rc1, <= 1.8.7)
   • github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (go) (versions >= 2.9.0, < 2.9.8)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-50726? Yes. CVE-2023-50726 is fixed in 2.9.8, 2.10.3, 2.8.12. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-50726 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-50726 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-2023-50726 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-2023-50726?
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.9.8 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.10.3 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.8.12 or later