Skip to main content

Argo Cd CVE-2020-8828

HIGH
Improper Authentication (CWE-287)
2020-04-08 cve@mitre.org
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication mechanism validation
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Defense Evasion, Initial Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access by sending crafted requests to the affected application.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 1.8% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

As of v1.5.0, the default admin password is set to the argocd-server pod name. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Implement multi-factor authentication, enforce strong password policies, use proven authentication frameworks.

Affected Packages

go github.com/argoproj/argo-cd no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in go

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as Improper Authentication (CWE-287), which allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access. As of v1.5.0, the default admin password is set to the argocd-server pod name. For insiders with access to the cluster or logs, this issue could be abused for privilege escalation, as Argo has privileged roles. A malicious insider is the most realistic threat, but pod names are not meant to be kept secret and could wind up just about anywhere. Affected products include: Argoproj Argo Cd.

Know when Argo Cd gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

As of v1.5.0, the default admin password is set to the argocd-server pod name. For insiders with access to the cluster or logs, this issue could be abused for privilege escalation, as Argo has privileged roles. A malicious insider is the most realistic threat, but pod names are not meant to be kept secret and could wind up just about anywhere.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.8%
Top 24% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 1.8%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

66
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +2
CVSS: +44
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:argoproj:argo_cd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
CVE-2025-55190 CRITICAL POC
9.9 Sep 04

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulne

CVE-2023-40029 CRITICAL POC
9.6 Sep 07

Argo CD is a declarative continuous deployment for Kubernetes. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.6), this vulnerability is

CVE-2024-21662 CRITICAL POC
9.1 Mar 18

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulne

CVE-2024-31989 CRITICAL POC
9.0 May 21

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulne

CVE-2022-1025 HIGH POC
8.8 Jul 12

All unpatched versions of Argo CD starting with v1.0.0 are vulnerable to an improper access control bug, allowing a mali

CVE-2024-22424 HIGH POC
8.3 Jan 19

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.3), this vulnerabi

CVE-2025-59531 HIGH POC
7.5 Oct 01

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Versions 1.2.0 through 1.8.7, 2.0.0-rc1 throug

CVE-2025-59537 HIGH POC
7.5 Oct 01

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Versions 1.2.0 through 1.8.7, 2.0.0-rc1 throug

CVE-2025-59538 HIGH POC
7.5 Oct 01

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. For versions 2.9.0-rc1 through 2.14.19, 3.0.0-

CVE-2024-40634 HIGH POC
7.5 Jul 22

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerabi

CVE-2024-37152 HIGH POC
7.5 Jun 06

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerabi

CVE-2024-21661 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 18

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerabi

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy