CVE-2025-23216
📋 TL;DR
Argo CD versions before v2.13.4, v2.12.10, and v2.11.13 expose Kubernetes Secret values in error messages and diff views when invalid Secret resources are synced from Git repositories. Any user with read access to Argo CD can view exposed secret data after a malicious or accidental commit triggers a sync. This affects organizations using vulnerable Argo CD versions for GitOps deployments.
💻 Affected Systems
- Argo CD
📦 What is this software?
Argo Cd by Argoproj
Argo Cd by Argoproj
Argo Cd by Argoproj
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sensitive Kubernetes secrets (API keys, passwords, tokens) are exposed to all Argo CD users, leading to credential theft, lateral movement, and full cluster compromise.
Likely Case
Accidental exposure of secret values through invalid configuration commits, allowing unauthorized users to view sensitive data in error logs.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure with strict repository access controls and monitoring, but still risks credential leakage to authorized users.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires write access to repository and ability to trigger sync. Simple to execute once access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: v2.13.4, v2.12.10, or v2.11.13
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/security/advisories/GHSA-47g2-qmh2-749v
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup current configuration. 2. Update Argo CD using Helm: 'helm upgrade argocd argo/argo-cd --version 2.13.4'. 3. Restart Argo CD components. 4. Verify version with 'argocd version'.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Repository Write Access
allLimit who can commit to Git repositories used by Argo CD to prevent malicious/accidental invalid Secret commits.
Disable Error Message Exposure
linuxConfigure Argo CD to suppress detailed error messages in UI and logs for Secret sync failures.
argocd-cm ConfigMap: set 'server.disable.error.message.details: true'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict RBAC to limit repository write access to trusted users only
- Enable audit logging for all Secret sync operations and monitor for failures
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Argo CD version: 'argocd version' or 'kubectl get deployment argocd-server -o yaml | grep image'Check Version:
argocd version --clientVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is v2.13.4, v2.12.10, or v2.11.13 or later. Test by creating invalid Secret and verifying no data exposure in error messages.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Error messages containing 'Secret' with exposed base64 data
- Sync failures for Secret resources with detailed error output
Network Indicators:
- Unusual API calls to retrieve error details for Secret syncs
SIEM Query:
source="argo-cd" AND ("invalid Secret" OR "secret sync failed") AND message="*base64*"