How severe is CVE-2023-40026?

CVE-2023-40026 has a CVSS score of 5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-40026?

CVE-2023-40026 affects the following packages: github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (Go), github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2023-40026?

A fix is available for CVE-2023-40026; check the affected-versions list above or the advisory for the patched release of github.com/argoproj/argo-cd, then make sure no transitive dependency still pins the vulnerable range.

How do I detect CVE-2023-40026 in my Go dependencies?

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.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-40026 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Is CVE-2023-40026 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2023-40026 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-40026?

CVE-2023-40026 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.6%, placing it in the 50th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-40026?

CVE-2023-40026 is classified as Path Traversal (CWE-22). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2023-40026 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-40026 was published on September 27, 2023 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2023-40026 — argo-cd

MEDIUM

CVE-2023-40026 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) 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 Helm charts from Argo CD repo-server

Also known asGHSA-6jqw-jwf5-rp8hGO-2023-2085

Published

Sep 27, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

1 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 10, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

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-2023-40026.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.6%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs50th percentile — riskier than 50% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-cd🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2

Real-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

In Argo CD versions prior to 2.3 (starting at least in v0.1.0, but likely in any version using Helm before 2.3), using a specifically-crafted Helm file could reference external Helm charts handled by the same repo-server to leak values, or files from the referenced Helm Chart. This was possible because Helm paths were predictable.

The vulnerability worked by adding a Helm chart that referenced Helm resources from predictable paths. Because the paths of Helm charts were predictable and available on an instance of repo-server, it was possible to reference and then render the values and resources from other existing Helm charts regardless of permissions. While generally, secrets are not stored in these files, it was nevertheless possible to reference any values from these charts.

Patches

This issue was fixed in Argo CD 2.3 and subsequent versions by randomizing Helm paths.

Workarounds

User's still using Argo CD 2.3 or below are advised to update to a supported version. If this is not possible, disabling Helm chart rendering, or using an additional repo-server for each Helm chart would prevent possible exploitation.

References

https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/security/advisories/GHSA-63qx-x74g-jcr7

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in example link to repo
Email us at example email address

Affected Packages

2 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd`	all versions	No fix
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	all versions	2.3.0`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.3.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

argo cdargoproj

< 2.3.0

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
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
A fix is available for CVE-2023-40026; check the affected-versions list above or the advisory for the patched release of github.com/argoproj/argo-cd, then make sure no transitive dependency still pins the vulnerable range.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

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.

Red HatModerate

Workaround published by Red Hat

Disabling Helm chart rendering, or using an additional repo-server for each Helm chart would prevent possible exploitation.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2023-40026 (CC BY 4.0)

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact In Argo CD versions prior to 2.3 (starting at least in v0.1.0, but likely in any version using Helm before 2.3), using a specifically-crafted Helm file could reference external Helm charts handled by the same repo-server to leak values, or files from the referenced Helm Chart. This was possible because Helm paths were predictable. The vulnerability worked by adding a Helm chart that referenced Helm resources from predictable paths. Because the paths of Helm charts were predictable and available on an instance of repo-server, it was possible to reference and then render the values