How severe is CVE-2023-40029?

CVE-2023-40029 has a CVSS score of 9.9/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-40029?

CVE-2023-40029 affects the following packages: github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (Go), github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (Go), github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2023-40029?

Update github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.6.15 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-40029 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-40029 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/v2, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-40029 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Assume what was exposed is already known: rotate any credential, token or key that the affected component could return, restrict the endpoint to callers that genuinely need it, and strip sensitive fields from responses and error output at the boundary rather than relying on the client not to read them.

Is CVE-2023-40029 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2023-40029, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-40029?

CVE-2023-40029 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.2%, placing it in the 68th 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-2023-40029?

CVE-2023-40029 is classified as Information Exposure (CWE-200), CWE-532 (CWE-532). These weakness types describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2023-40029 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-40029 was published on September 7, 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

CRITICAL severity

CVE-2023-40029 — argo-cd

CRITICALFix: argoproj/argo-cd@4b2e5b0

CVE-2023-40029 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) Information Exposure vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Cluster secret might leak in cluster details page in Argo CD

Also known asBIT-argo-cd-2023-40029GHSA-fwr2-64vr-xv9mGO-2023-2049

Published

Sep 7, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

3 / 3

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 1, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Proof-of-concept exploit code exists

CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-40029.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs68th percentile — riskier than 68% 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

3 pkgs affected

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

Argo CD Cluster secrets might be managed declaratively using Argo CD / kubectl apply. As a result, the full secret body is stored inkubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration annotation.

https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/pull/7139 introduced the ability to manage cluster labels and annotations. Since clusters are stored as secrets it also exposes the kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration annotation which includes full secret body. In order to view the cluster annotations via the Argo CD API, the user must have clusters, get RBAC access.

Note: In many cases, cluster secrets do not contain any actually-secret information. But sometimes, as in bearer-token auth, the contents might be very sensitive.

Patches

The bug has been patched in the following versions:

2.8.3
2.7.14
2.6.15

Workarounds

Update/Deploy cluster secret with server-side-apply flag which does not use or rely on kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration annotation. Note: annotation for existing secrets will require manual removal.

For more information

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

Affected Packages

3 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.6.15	2.6.15`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.6.15`
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	≥ 2.7.0&&< 2.7.14	2.7.14`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.7.14`
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	≥ 2.8.0&&< 2.8.3	2.8.3`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.8.3`

Affected Products

1 product · 3 configurations

Application

argo cdargoproj

≥ 2.8.0 && < 2.8.3

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Argo CD is a declarative continuous deployment for Kubernetes. Argo CD C…

github.comNVDSep 2023

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/v2, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.6.15 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-40029 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Assume what was exposed is already known: rotate any credential, token or key that the affected component could return, restrict the endpoint to callers that genuinely need it, and strip sensitive fields from responses and error output at the boundary rather than relying on the client not to read them.

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 HatCritical

Workaround published by Red Hat

Update/deploy the cluster secret with the`server-side-apply` flag, which does not use or rely on the `kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration` <http://kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration> annotation. Note: Annotation for existing secrets will require manual removal.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2023-40029 (CC BY 4.0)

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.8	`openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.8.5-1`	RHSA-2023:5030
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.9	`openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.9.2-2`	RHSA-2023:5029

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact Argo CD Cluster secrets might be managed declaratively using Argo CD / kubectl apply. As a result, the full secret body is stored in`kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration` annotation. https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/pull/7139 introduced the ability to manage cluster labels and annotations. Since clusters are stored as secrets it also exposes the `kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration` annotation which includes full secret body. In order to view the cluster annotations via the Argo CD API, the user must have `clusters, get` RBAC access. **Note:** In many