CVE-2026-24748
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an authentication bypass vulnerability in Kargo's API endpoints. Unauthenticated attackers can access configuration data (exposing Argo CD cluster details) and trigger resource refreshes (causing denial-of-service). All Kargo deployments prior to patched versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Kargo
📦 What is this software?
Kargo by Akuity
Kargo by Akuity
Kargo by Akuity
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers exfiltrate sensitive configuration data including Argo CD cluster endpoints and namespaces, then use this information to launch targeted attacks against Kubernetes infrastructure while simultaneously performing DoS attacks via resource refresh loops.
Likely Case
Unauthenticated attackers enumerate exposed Argo CD cluster information for reconnaissance purposes and potentially trigger resource refreshes to degrade Kargo API performance.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and API gateway controls, impact is limited to internal reconnaissance with minimal operational disruption.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only HTTP requests with any non-empty Bearer token. No special tools or knowledge needed beyond basic HTTP client usage.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.8.7, 1.7.7, or 1.6.3
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/akuity/kargo/security/advisories/GHSA-w5wv-wvrp-v5m5
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Identify current Kargo version. 2. Upgrade to appropriate patched version (1.8.7, 1.7.7, or 1.6.3). 3. Restart Kargo services. 4. Verify authentication now properly validates Bearer tokens.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
API Gateway Authentication Enforcement
allDeploy an API gateway or reverse proxy that enforces proper authentication before requests reach Kargo API endpoints.
Network Access Control
allRestrict network access to Kargo API endpoints using firewall rules to only allow trusted sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Kargo API from untrusted networks
- Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) with authentication bypass detection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Send HTTP GET request to /api/v1/config with any non-empty Authorization: Bearer token header. If configuration data is returned without valid authentication, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
kubectl get pods -n kargo -o jsonpath='{.items[*].spec.containers[*].image}' | grep -o 'kargo:[0-9.]*'Verify Fix Applied:
Repeat vulnerable check with invalid Bearer token. Should receive 401 Unauthorized response. Valid authentication should still work normally.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple 200 OK responses to /api/v1/config from unauthenticated sources
- High volume of requests to /api/v1/refresh-resource from single IPs
- Requests with malformed or generic Bearer tokens
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to Kargo API endpoints from external IPs
- Repeated configuration data requests without subsequent authenticated sessions
SIEM Query:
source="kargo-logs" AND (uri_path="/api/v1/config" OR uri_path="/api/v1/refresh-resource") AND http_status=200 AND NOT auth_token_valid=true🔗 References
- https://github.com/akuity/kargo/commit/23646eaefb449a6cc2e76a8033e8a57f71369772
- https://github.com/akuity/kargo/commit/aa28f81ac15ad871c6eba329fc2f0417a08c39d7
- https://github.com/akuity/kargo/commit/b3297ace0d3b9e7f7128858c5c4288d77f072b8c
- https://github.com/akuity/kargo/security/advisories/GHSA-w5wv-wvrp-v5m5
