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Argo Workflows CVE-2026-54526

| EUVDEUVD-2026-45029 HIGH
Improper Access Control (CWE-284)
2026-07-16 security-advisories@github.com
Authentication Bypass Kubernetes
8.9
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: github
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Severity by source

Vendor (github) PRIMARY
8.9 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
vuln.today AI
8.5 HIGH

Authenticated workflow submitter (PR:L) over the API (AV:N); AC:H because a specific referenced-template + artifact-GC configuration is required; privileged pod escapes to the node (S:C) with full C/I/A impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Primary rating from Vendor (github).

CVSS VectorVendor: github

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
X

Lifecycle Timeline

4
Patch available
Jul 16, 2026 - 22:19 EUVD
Source Code Evidence Fetched
Jul 16, 2026 - 19:32 vuln.today
Analysis Generated
Jul 16, 2026 - 19:32 vuln.today
CVE Published
Jul 16, 2026 - 19:16 cve.org
HIGH 8.9

DescriptionCVE.org

Argo Workflows is an open source container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs on Kubernetes. Prior to 3.7.15 and 4.0.6, the allow-list fix for CVE-2026-31892 is incomplete because workflow/util/merge.go ValidateUserOverrides and SanitizeUserWorkflowSpec walk only the top-level fields of WorkflowSpec via reflection, and WorkflowSpec.ArtifactGC is allow-listed wholesale; the struct behind that field, WorkflowLevelArtifactGC, has a PodSpecPatch sub-field whose contents flow unmodified into util.ApplyPodSpecPatch on the artifact-GC pod, the same sink the original fix closed for WorkflowSpec.PodSpecPatch, so a user submitting a Workflow under templateReferencing: Strict or Secure (against a referenced WorkflowTemplate that declares an output artifact and setting spec.artifactGC.strategy: OnWorkflowCompletion) can still inject an arbitrary strategic merge patch into the artifact-GC pod, including hostPath volumes, privileged: true, arbitrary image and command, and hostNetwork: true, defeating the stated purpose of Strict/Secure reference mode. This issue is fixed in versions 3.7.15 and 4.0.6.

Articles & Coverage 1

News 5 New Kubernetes Vulnerabilities - 1 Critical, 4 High, 1 With POC Jul 17, 2026

AnalysisAI

Privilege escalation in Argo Workflows before 3.7.15 and 4.0.6 lets a low-privileged user who can submit Workflows bypass the Strict/Secure templateReferencing protections and inject an arbitrary strategic-merge PodSpecPatch into the artifact garbage-collection pod. Because the fix for CVE-2026-31892 only walked top-level WorkflowSpec fields and allow-listed WorkflowSpec.ArtifactGC wholesale, its nested WorkflowLevelArtifactGC.PodSpecPatch flowed unmodified into util.ApplyPodSpecPatch, allowing an attacker to spawn a pod with privileged: true, hostPath volumes, hostNetwork: true, and an attacker-chosen image and command. …

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

Access
Authenticate and submit Workflow referencing hardened template
Delivery
Set artifactGC strategy OnWorkflowCompletion with malicious podSpecPatch
Exploit
Bypass incomplete ArtifactGC allow-list validation
Execution
Controller applies patch to artifact-GC pod
Persist
Privileged pod runs with hostPath and hostNetwork
Impact
Escape to node and compromise cluster
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Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Exploitation requires an authenticated user with rights to submit a Workflow (CVSS PR:L) that references a WorkflowTemplate under templateReferencing: Strict or Secure mode, where that referenced WorkflowTemplate declares an output artifact AND the submitted workflow sets spec.artifactGC.strategy: OnWorkflowCompletion; the malicious payload is placed in the nested spec.artifactGC.podSpecPatch (WorkflowLevelArtifactGC.PodSpecPatch) field. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment This is a genuinely high-impact issue but a conditional, authenticated one, not a spray-and-pray internet exploit. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario A tenant with permission only to submit Workflows references a hardened WorkflowTemplate (Strict/Secure mode) that declares an output artifact, and sets spec.artifactGC.strategy: OnWorkflowCompletion plus a spec.artifactGC.podSpecPatch containing privileged: true, a hostPath mount of the node root, hostNetwork: true, and an attacker image and command. When the workflow completes, the controller creates the artifact-GC pod with the injected patch, giving the attacker a privileged container on a cluster node for host filesystem access and lateral movement. …
Remediation Vendor-released patch: upgrade to Argo Workflows 3.7.15 (3.x users) or 4.0.6 (4.x users), per GHSA-48p8-g2fx-3wwm and fix commits 277e9cef0ad16d7eaaab253573d0695951a65dbd and 358cc3968c8f06f1be0967e41df191088db0b662; these add validation-time rejection and sanitization of ArtifactGC.PodSpecPatch, ArtifactGC.ServiceAccountName, and ArtifactGC.PodMetadata. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.
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Recommended ActionAI

Within 24 hours: inventory all Argo Workflows deployments and identify versions prior to 3.7.15 (v3 track) or 4.0.6 (v4 track); audit RBAC policies to determine which users and service accounts currently have permission to submit workflows. …

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CVE-2026-54526 vulnerability details – vuln.today
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