CVE-2022-24731 — argo-cd
MEDIUMCVE-2022-24731 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.8) Path Traversal vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-cd. A fix is available for github.com/argoproj/argo-cd — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Path traversal allows leaking out-of-bound files from Argo CD repo-server
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-24731.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-24731 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-cd🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-cdReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
All unpatched versions of Argo CD starting with v1.5.0 are vulnerable to a path traversal vulnerability allowing a malicious user with read/write access to leak sensitive files from Argo CD's repo-server.
A malicious Argo CD user who has been granted create or update access to Applications can leak the contents of any text file on the repo-server. By crafting a malicious Helm chart and using it in an Application, the attacker can retrieve the sensitive file's contents either as part of the generated manifests or in an error message. The attacker would have to know or guess the location of the target file.
Sensitive files which could be leaked include files from other Application's source repositories (potentially decrypted files, if you are using a decryption plugin) or any secrets which have been mounted as files on the repo-server.
Patches
A patch for this vulnerability has been released in the following Argo CD versions:
- v2.3.0
- v2.2.6
- v2.1.11
Workarounds
The only certain way to avoid the vulnerability is to upgrade.
To mitigate the problem, you can
- avoid storing secrets in git
- avoid mounting secrets as files on the repo-server
- avoid decrypting secrets into files on the repo-server
- carefully limit who can
createorupdateApplications
References
For more information
Open an issue in the Argo CD issue tracker or discussions Join us on Slack in channel #argo-cd
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-cd | ≥ 1.5.0&&< 2.1.11 | 2.1.11go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd@v2.1.11 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-cd | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.6 | 2.2.6go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd@v2.2.6 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-cd | ≥ 2.3.0-rc1&&< 2.3.0 | 2.3.0go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd@v2.3.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/argoproj/argo-cd, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/argoproj/argo-cd to 2.1.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-24731 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2022-24731 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-24731. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.2 | openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.2.3-3 | RHSA-2022:1039 |
| Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.3 | openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.3.5-4 | RHSA-2022:1040 |
| Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.3 | openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.3.6-3 | RHSA-2022:1042 |
| Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.4 | openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.4.4-6 | RHSA-2022:1041 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-24731 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-24731 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.