CVE-2026-45738 Argo CD: Stored XSS in application link annotations enables developer-to-admin privilege escalation
Attackers with write access can inject malicious JavaScript via annotations, leading to privilege escalation when viewed by admins.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-45738?
CVE-2026-45738 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Argoproj Argo Cd, published on 15 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Prior to 3.2.12, 3.3.10, and 3.4.2, Argo CD users with application write access can set link.argocd.argoproj.io/* annotations whose pipe-separated values are rendered by ui/src/app/applications/components/application-summary/application-summary.tsx in the Summary tab URLs section as anchor href values without URL validation, allowing javascript: execution in a higher-privileged user's authenticated Argo CD origin session. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.12, 3.3.10, and 3.4.2.
Weakness: CWE-79
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45738?
14 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3, argo-cd and github.com/argoproj/argo-cd. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | All versions | 3.2.12, 3.3.10, 3.4.2 |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | All versions | 3.2.12 |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | All versions | 3.2.12 |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | From 3.3.0-rc1 | 3.3.10 |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | From 3.3.0-rc1 | 3.3.10 |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | From 3.4.0-rc1 | 3.4.2 |
8 more packages
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 Go | From 3.4.0-rc1 | 3.4.2 |
argo-cd Bitnami | All versions | 3.2.12, 3.3.10, 3.4.2 |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd Go | All versions | None |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd Go | All versions to 1.8.7 | None |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd Go | All versions to 1.8.7 | None |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 Go | All versions | None |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 Go | All versions to 2.14.21 | None |
github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v2 Go | All versions to 2.14.21 | None |
Products include Argoproj Argo Cd.
How do I fix CVE-2026-45738?
Upgrade github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/v3 to a fixed version for your release line: 3.2.12, 3.3.10 or 3.4.2.
Escape output for the context it lands in and set a strict Content Security Policy. Upgrading the affected component is the real fix. More about Cross-site scripting.
Is CVE-2026-45738 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-45738 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Argoproj Argo Cd
- CVE-2025-55190 Argo CD: Project API Token Exposes Repository Credentials
- CVE-2022-29165 Argo CD will blindly trust JWT claims if anonymous access is enabled
- CVE-2023-40029 Cluster secret might leak in cluster details page in Argo CD
- CVE-2022-24768 Improper access control allows admin privilege escalation in Argo CD
- CVE-2024-21652 Argo CD vulnerable to Bypassing of Brute Force Protection via Application Crash and In-Memory Data Loss
Sources
Also known as BIT-argo-cd-2026-45738, CLEANSTART-2026-GJ12599, CLEANSTART-2026-GM59601, CLEANSTART-2026-YZ37835, GHSA-h98r-wv3h-fr38, GO-2026-5418 and 26 more.