GHSA-6gcg-hp2x-q54h
MEDIUMSymlink following allows leaking out-of-bound manifests and JSON files from Argo CD repo-server
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.
Blast Radius
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2🐹github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2Real-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 v0.7.0 are vulnerable to a symlink following bug allowing a malicious user with repository write access to leak sensitive files from Argo CD's repo-server.
A malicious Argo CD user with write access for a repository which is (or may be) used in a directory-type Application may commit a symlink which points to an out-of-bounds file.
- If the target file is a valid JSON or YAML manifest file, and the resource is allowed in the Application, the attacker can read the contents of that manifest file. (In versions <2.3.2, <2.2.8, and <2.1.14, the attacker may read the files contents even if the resource is not allowed in the Application).
- If the target file is valid JSON but is not a manifest file, the attacker may read the contents of the file.
- If the target file is not valid JSON or YAML, the attacker may read partial file contents (usually just the first character of the file).
Sensitive files which could be leaked include manifest files from other Applications' source repositories (potentially decrypted files, if you are using a decryption plugin) or any JSON-formatted 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:
- v2.3.4
- v2.2.9
- v2.1.15
Workarounds
- If you are using >=v2.3.0 and do not have any Jsonnet/directory-type Applications, disable the Jsonnet/directory config management tool. The config key is called
jsonnet.enablesince the same build tool is used for both Jsonnet and plain-manifest ("directory") sources.
Mitigations
- Avoid mounting JSON-formatted secrets as files on the repo-server.
- Upgrade to >=2.3.0 to significantly reduce the risk of leaking out-of-bounds manifest files. Starting with 2.3.0, repository paths are randomized, and read permissions are restricted when manifests are not being actively being generated. This makes it very difficult to craft and use a malicious symlink.
- Upgrade to >=2.3.3, >=2.2.8, or >= 2.1.14 to significantly reduce the risk of leaking the contents of (but not the existence of) out-of-bounds manifest files. These versions prevent attackers from loading manifests which are not permitted in the Project which governs the Application.
Best practices which can mitigate risk
- Limit who has push access to manifest repositories.
- Limit who is allowed to configure new source repositories.
- Limit resource kinds and destinations allowed for Projects, and restrict user access to only the necessary Projects.
Credits
This vulnerability was originally discovered as part of the Trail of Bits audit, published March 12, 2021. The behavior was left unchanged at the time.
The vulnerability was independently re-discovered by @crenshaw-dev, who contributed the patch. A security audit by Ada Logics independently followed up on the Trail of Bits report around the same time.
References
- List of types of Applications, including directory-type
- RBAC documentation, showing how to limit repository permissions
- Project documentation, showing how to limit allowable resource kinds and destinations
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/v2 | all versions | 2.1.15 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.9 | 2.2.9 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.4 | 2.3.4 |
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/v2. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 to 2.1.15 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6gcg-hp2x-q54h 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-6gcg-hp2x-q54h is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-6gcg-hp2x-q54h. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-6gcg-hp2x-q54h in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-6gcg-hp2x-q54h across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.