How severe is GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj?

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj has a CVSS score of 9/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj?

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj affects the following packages: github.com/argoproj/argo-cd (Go), github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 (Go), 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 GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj?

Update github.com/argoproj/argo-cd to 2.1.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj 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 GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

Is GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj 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 GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj?

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.0%, placing it in the 63th 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 GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj?

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). 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 GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj was published on June 21, 2022 and was last updated on August 21, 2024. 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

Argo CD's external URLs for Deployments can include JavaScriptGHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj

CRITICALFix: argoproj/argo-cd@8bc3ef6

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) 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.

Also known asCVE-2022-31035GO-2022-0498

Published

Jun 21, 2022

Updated

Aug 21, 2024

Affected

5 pkgs

Patched

5 / 5

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 11, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
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 GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs63th percentile — riskier than 63% 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

5 pkgs affected

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

All unpatched versions of Argo CD starting with v1.0.0 are vulnerable to a cross-site scripting (XSS) bug allowing a malicious user to inject a javascript: link in the UI. When clicked by a victim user, the script will execute with the victim's permissions (up to and including admin).

The script would be capable of doing anything which is possible in the UI or via the API, such as creating, modifying, and deleting Kubernetes resources.

Patches

A patch for this vulnerability has been released in the following Argo CD versions:

v2.4.1
v2.3.5
v2.2.10
v2.1.16

Workarounds

There are no completely-safe workarounds besides upgrading.

Mitigations:

Avoid clicking external links presented in the UI. Here is an example of an Application node with an external link:

The link's title is user-configurable. So even if you hover the link, and the tooltip looks safe, the link might be malicious. The only way to be certain that the link is safe is to inspect the page's source.
Carefully limit who has permissions to edit resource manifests (this is configured in RBAC).

References

Documentation for the external links feature

Credits

Disclosed by ADA Logics in a security audit of the Argo project sponsored by CNCF and facilitated by OSTIF. Thanks to Adam Korczynski and David Korczynski for their work on the audit.

For more information

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

Affected Packages

5 total 5 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd`	≥ 1.0.0&&< 2.1.16	2.1.16`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd@v2.1.16`
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	all versions	2.1.16`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.1.16`
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.10	2.2.10`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.2.10`
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.5	2.3.5`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.3.5`
🐹Go	`github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2`	≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.1	2.4.1`go get github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2@v2.4.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 4 configurations

Application

argo cdargoproj

≥ 1.0.0 && < 2.1.16

3 versions

2.2.92.3.42.4.0

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
Update github.com/argoproj/argo-cd to 2.1.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

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 HatImportant

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.3	`openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.3.12-1`	RHSA-2022:5187
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.3	`openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.3.11-4`	RHSA-2022:5192
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.4	`openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.4.9-3`	RHSA-2022:5153
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.5	`openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8:v1.5.3-2`	RHSA-2022:5152

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact All unpatched versions of Argo CD starting with v1.0.0 are vulnerable to a cross-site scripting (XSS) bug allowing a malicious user to inject a `javascript:` link in the UI. When clicked by a victim user, the script will execute with the victim's permissions (up to and including admin). The script would be capable of doing anything which is possible in the UI or via the API, such as creating, modifying, and deleting Kubernetes resources. ### Patches A patch for this vulnerability has been released in the following Argo CD versions: * v2.4.1 * v2.3.5 * v2.2.10 * v2.1.16 ### Wor

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVSS Score

9/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

No Nuclei template, Metasploit module or public proof-of-concept found.

Timeline

Disclosed

Jun 21, 2022

Last updated

Aug 21, 2024

Identifiers

GHSA-h4w9-6x78-8vrj

GO-2022-0498

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2022 31035 Webgithub.com · GHSA h4w9 6x78 8vrj Webgithub.com · 8bc3ef690de29c68a36f473908774346a44d4038 Webargo-cd.readthedocs.io · external url Packagegithub.com · argo cd

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is critical severity; 2 of 8 other CVEs affecting argo-cd are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2026-45738CVE-2025-59531CVE-2025-59537CVE-2025-47933CVE-2025-23216CVE-2024-40634CVE-2024-36106CVE-2024-31989

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedAug 21, 2024