CVE-2022-29164: Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 Malicious HTML+XHR Artifact Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cmv8-6362-r5w9
CVSS 7.1
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-29164 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) malicious html+xhr artifact privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves malicious html+xhr artifact privilege escalation in argo workflows. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.11, 3.3.5.

CVE-2022-29164 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-29164
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cmv8-6362-r5w9
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-29164

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 fixed: 3.2.11
Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 to 3.2.11
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 fixed: 3.3.5
Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 to 3.3.5
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2022-29164, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3:

inspect dependencies for github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.11), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Argo Workflows is an open source container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs on Kubernetes. * The attacker creates a workflow that produces a HTML artifact that contains a HTML file that contains a script which uses XHR calls to interact with the Argo Server API. * The attacker emails the deep-link to the artifact to their victim. The victim opens the link, the script starts running. As the script has access to the Argo Server API (as the victim), so may do the following (if the victim may): * Read information about the victim’s workflows. * Create or delete workflows. Notes: * The attacker must be an insider: they must have access to the same cluster as the victim and must already be able to run their own workflows. * The attacker must have an understanding of the victim’s system. They won’t be able to repeatedly probe due to the social engineering aspect. * The attacker is likely leave an audit trail. We have seen no evidence of this in the wild. While the impact is high, it is very hard to exploit. We urge all users to upgrade to the fixed versions. Disabling the Argo Server is the only known workaround. Note version 2.12 has been out of support for sometime. No fix is currently planned.

CVE-2022-29164 Affected Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.113.3.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3
Go
≥ 2.6.0
< 3.2.11
3.2.11
github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3
Go
≥ 3.3.0
< 3.3.5
3.3.5

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-29164?
CVE-2022-29164 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 involving Malicious HTML+XHR Artifact Privilege Escalation in Argo Workflows under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Github.com/argoproj/argo workflows/v3 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.11, 3.3.5 across affected packages: github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3.
What version fixes CVE-2022-29164?
Upgrading to 3.2.11, 3.3.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 affected?
Yes, github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 is affected in releases prior to 3.2.11, 3.3.5. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.11, 3.3.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-29164?
CVE-2022-29164 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-29164?
CVE-2022-29164 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2022-29164?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-cmv8-6362-r5w9",
  "modified" : "2026-02-06T21:31:02Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-23T20:16:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-29164" ],
  "summary" : "Malicious HTML+XHR Artifact Privilege Escalation in Argo Workflows",
  "details" : "Argo Workflows is an open source container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs on Kubernetes.\n\n* The attacker creates a workflow that produces a HTML artifact that contains a HTML file that contains a script which uses XHR calls to interact with the Argo Server API.\n* The attacker emails the deep-link to the artifact to their victim. The victim opens the link, the script starts running.\n\nAs the script has access to the Argo Server API (as the victim), so may do the following (if the victim may):\n\n* Read information about the victim’s workflows.\n* Create or delete workflows.\n\nNotes:\n\n* The attacker must be an insider: they must have access to the same cluster as the victim and must already be able to run their own workflows. \n* The attacker must have an understanding of the victim’s system. They won’t be able to repeatedly probe due to the social engineering  aspect.\n* The attacker is likely leave an audit trail.\n\nWe have seen no evidence of this in the wild. While the impact is high, it is very hard to exploit. \n\nWe urge all users to upgrade to the fixed versions. Disabling the Argo Server is the only known workaround. Note version 2.12 has been out of support for sometime. No fix is currently planned.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.3.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/security/advisories/GHSA-cmv8-6362-r5w9"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-29164"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/pull/8585"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/commit/87470e1c2bf703a9110e97bb755614ce8757fdcc"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-05-23T20:16:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-05-06T00:15:00Z"
  }
}