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Argo CD EUVDEUVD-2025-211059

| CVE-2025-61560 HIGH
Race Condition (CWE-362)
2026-10-09 mitre
8.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: mitre
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Reach Argo CD login API
  2. Delivery
    Flood concurrent crafted auth requests
  3. Exploit
    Win SessionManager race, bypass rate limit
  4. Execution
    Brute-force valid account credentials
  5. Impact
    Gain authenticated Argo CD/cluster access

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Concurrency control, locking
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

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

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires reaching the Argo CD SessionManager authentication/login endpoint over the network and issuing repeated concurrent crafted requests to win the race-condition timing window that governs the login rate-limiting counter; this is the exact prerequisite named in the advisory. No authentication or user interaction is needed to trigger the bypass (PR:N/UI:N), but realistic account compromise is LIMITED by two factors: the attacker must reliably win the timing race (reflected as AC:H / high attack complexity), and the follow-on brute force only succeeds against weak, default, or guessable credentials - strong passwords, SSO/external identity providers that remove the local password login, or secondary account lockout controls materially reduce exploitability. Affected: Argo CD v3.0.6 (verify fixed version via GHSA-4439-h7jw-5cjj).

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 is driven by a fully network-reachable (AV:N), unauthenticated (PR:N), no-user-interaction (UI:N) vector with claimed High confidentiality, integrity and availability impact, but tempered by High attack complexity (AC:H) - appropriate for a race condition whose exploitation depends on winning a narrow timing window. The real-world signals pull the priority down: EPSS is only 0.15% (4th percentile), the CVE is NOT on CISA KEV, and no public exploit code was identified, so this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' There is tension between the CVSS impact metrics and the described defect: the vulnerability itself only bypasses login rate limiting (CWE-362), while the C:H/I:H/A:H rating reflects the DOWNSTREAM consequence of a successful brute-force against an Argo CD account - it does not grant those impacts directly and still depends on guessable/weak credentials. Net assessment: a genuinely serious flaw in a widely deployed Kubernetes GitOps controller (admin takeover = cluster control), but a moderate rather than emergency priority given high exploit complexity, very low EPSS, no KEV, and no known exploit - patch on a normal-to-expedited cycle. Note the CPE/affected-version data in the feed is 'n/a' and unreliable; the only concrete affected version is v3.0.6 from the description - verify fixed version against the GHSA advisory.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote, unauthenticated attacker targets the Argo CD login/session endpoint and issues many concurrent crafted authentication requests to trigger the SessionManager race condition, causing the rate-limiting counter to be bypassed. With rate limiting defeated, the attacker runs a high-volume password brute-force against a known or guessed account (e.g., the built-in admin), and on success obtains authenticated access to Argo CD and the clusters it manages. No public proof-of-concept exploit was identified at the time of analysis, and the high attack complexity (AC:H) means the timing race must be won reliably.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 19, 2026

SessionManager rate-limit bypass in Argo CD v3.0.6 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to issue repeated concurrent crafted login requests and win a race-condition timing window, circumventing the login throttling intended to slow brute-force attempts. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.1 with High confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, but High attack complexity reflects the need to reliably win the timing race; follow-on account compromise is further limited by strong credentials, SSO/external identity providers, or secondary lockout controls. EPSS is low at 0.15% (4th percentile), and no public exploit was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade Argo CD to the fixed release identified in GHSA-4439-h7jw-5cjj; the provided data does not specify the exact patched version, so do not assume v3.0.6 is fixed and verify the advisory before deployment. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict network access to the Argo CD login/SessionManager endpoints to trusted users or networks, accepting that this may break legitimate UI/API access for remote users; enforce SSO or an external identity provider and disable local password login where feasible, with the trade-off that local emergency-admin access may be affected; and apply independent account lockout, alerting, or upstream throttling controls, understanding that they supplement but do not replace the vendor fix. Review https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/security/advisories/GHSA-4439-h7jw-5cjj for vendor guidance and patched versions.

Affected VersionsENISA

n/a n/a

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

The issue is a CWE-362 race condition in Argo CD's SessionManager, the component governing authentication and login rate limiting. Concurrent crafted requests to the login endpoint can interfere with the shared counter or synchronization governing throttling, allowing attackers to bypass rate limiting and conduct brute-force attempts. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N means the endpoint is network-reachable and no authentication or user interaction is required to trigger the bypass, but exploitation depends on winning a narrow timing window. The provided CPE is wildcard/n/a and EUVD affected versions are listed as n/a, so exact product granularity must be taken from the description (Argo CD v3.0.6) and the vendor advisory GHSA-4439-h7jw-5cjj.

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Severity by source

Vendor (mitre) PRIMARY 8.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.1 HIGH

Network-reachable login endpoint with no auth or interaction (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N); race condition must be won, so AC:H; successful brute-force yields admin account takeover justifying C:H/I:H/A:H.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Red Hat 8.1 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (mitre).

CVSS VectorVendor: mitre

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

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Oct 19, 2026 - 19:22 NVD
8.1 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Oct 09, 2026 - 00:00 cve.org
HIGH 8.1
CVE Published
Oct 09, 2026 - 00:00 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

A race condition vulnerability in the SessionManager of CNCF: Cloud Native Computing Foundation Argo CD v3.0.6 allows attackers to bypass rate limiting and perform a brute force attack via repeated crafted requests.

Technical POC Analysis

CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization), tagged by the advisory alongside CWE-307 (Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts).

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Argo CD v3.0.6 contains a login-throttling weakness that could let attackers repeatedly attempt credential guessing against the GitOps control plane, increasing the risk of unauthorized access to deployment pipelines and the secrets they manage. The issue is rated high severity, with no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no vendor-released patch, so exposure depends on internet-facing access and the strength of identity controls. Leadership should prioritize inventory, access restriction, and identity hardening for Argo CD while awaiting a vendor fix.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; restrict Argo CD UI/API and SessionManager access to trusted networks/VPN, enforce SSO/MFA and external identity providers, apply ingress/WAF rate limiting and secondary lockout controls, monitor concurrent login failures, and reduce local accounts until a fixed release is deployed.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 96% exploitable
Prevalence
High
CNCF graduated GitOps controller, widely deployed across Kubernetes environments
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 No
EPSS 0.2%
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
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

40
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +40
PoC: 0
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.

Race conditions occur when multiple concurrent requests exploit the brief time gap between checking a condition and acting upon it (TOCTOU - Time of Check, Time of Use).

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Vendor StatusVendor

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