CVE-2026-42294 — v3
Fix: argoproj/argo-workflows@7abb4deCVE-2026-42294 is a security vulnerability in github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3. A fix is available for github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Argo Workflows: Unauthenticated Memory Exhaustion (DoS) in Webhook Interceptor
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.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-42294.
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.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v4Real-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
Severity: Medium
Component: Webhook Interceptor (server/auth/webhook)
Vulnerability Type: Denial of Service (DoS)
Description
The Webhook Interceptor loads the entire request body into memory before authenticating the request or verifying its signature. This occurs on the /api/v1/events/ endpoint, which is publicly accessible (albeit intended for webhooks). An attacker can send a request with an extremely large body (e.g., multiple gigabytes), causing the Argo Server to allocate excessive memory, potentially leading to an Out-Of-Memory (OOM) crash and denial of service.
Vulnerable Code
In server/auth/webhook/interceptor.go:
func (i *WebhookInterceptor) addWebhookAuthorization(r *http.Request, kube kubernetes.Interface) error {
// ... basic checks ...
// Vulnerability: Reads entire body into memory unconditionally
buf, _ := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
defer func() { r.Body = io.NopCloser(bytes.NewBuffer(buf)) }()
// ... subsequent logic finds correct service account and secret ...
// ... verification happens later ...
}
The io.ReadAll call happens before the signature verification loop.
Impact
- Service Availability: An attacker can crash the Argo Server, disrupting workflow execution and API access for all users.
PoC (Conceptual)
- Target the webhook endpoint:
POST /api/v1/events/some-namespace - Send a
Content-Length: 1000000000(1GB) header. - Stream 1GB of random data.
- Monitor server memory usage. It will spike until 1GB is allocated or the process crashes.
Recommendation
- Limit Body Size: Enforce a strict limit on webhook body size (e.g., 10MB) using
http.MaxBytesReader. - Streaming Verification: If possible, verify the signature in a streaming fashion or use a temporary file for large payloads (though typically webhooks are small).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 | all versions | 3.7.14go get github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3@v3.7.14 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v4 | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.0.5 | 4.0.5go get github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v4@v4.0.5 |
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-workflows/v3, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 to 3.7.14 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-42294 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-2026-42294 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-42294. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-42294 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-42294 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.