CVE-2024-41666

Argo CD v2.11.3 and before, discovering that even if the user's p, role:myrole, exec, create, */*, allow permissions are revoked, the user can still send any Websocket message, which allows the user to view sensitive information. Even though they shouldn't have such access.

Description

Argo CD has a Web-based terminal that allows you to get a shell inside a running pod, just like you would with kubectl exec. However, when the administrator enables this function and grants permission to the user p, role:myrole, exec, create, */*, allow, even if the user revokes this permission, the user can still perform operations in the container, as long as the user keeps the terminal view open for a long time. CVE-2023-40025 Although the token expiration and revocation of the user are fixed, however, the fix does not address the situation of revocation of only user p, role:myrole, exec, create, */*, allow permissions, which may still lead to the leakage of sensitive information.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

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

Credits

This vulnerability was found & reported by
Shengjie Li, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Zhi Li, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Weijie Liu, Nankai University

The Argo team would like to thank these contributors for their responsible disclosure and constructive communications during the resolve of this issue

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-2024-41666 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (2.9.21, 2.10.16, 2.11.7); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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

v2.11.7
v2.10.16
v2.9.21

1. What is CVE-2024-41666? CVE-2024-41666 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (go), affecting versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.9.21. It is fixed in 2.9.21, 2.10.16, 2.11.7. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-41666? CVE-2024-41666 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (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 versions of github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 are affected by CVE-2024-41666? github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (go) versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.9.21 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-41666? Yes. CVE-2024-41666 is fixed in 2.9.21, 2.10.16, 2.11.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-41666 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-41666 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-2024-41666 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-2024-41666?
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.9.21 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.10.16 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.11.7 or later