dbcve.org
Argo CdApplication · Argoproj

CVE-2024-21652

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.8.13 / 2.9.9 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. Prior to versions 2.8.13, 2.9.9, and 2.10.4, an attacker can exploit a chain of vulnerabilities, including a Denial of Service (DoS) flaw and in-memory data storage weakness, to effectively bypass the application's brute force login protection. This is a critical security vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass the brute force login protection mechanism. Not only can they crash the service affecting all users, but they can also make unlimited login attempts, increasing the risk of account compromise. Versions 2.8.13, 2.9.9, and 2.10.4 contain a patch for this issue.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Argo CD versions prior to 2.8.13, 2.9.9, and 2.10.4 contain a vulnerability chain combining a Denial of Service flaw with an in-memory data storage weakness that allows attackers to bypass the application's brute force login protection, enabling both service crashes affecting all users and unlimited login attempts for account compromise.

MitigationUpgrade Argo CD to versions 2.8.13, 2.9.9, or 2.10.4 to patch this vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Argo CdApplication
Affected:< 2.8.13>= 2.9.0, < 2.9.9>= 2.10.0, < 2.10.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Argo CD server version
    Run `argocd version` to see both client and server versions, or check the Argo CD deployment/operator in Kubernetes with `kubectl get deployment argocd-server -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}'`
    Affected if The server version is prior to 2.8.13, between 2.9.0-2.9.8 inclusive, or between 2.10.0-2.10.3 inclusive
  2. Confirm Argo CD login interface is accessible
    Verify the Argo CD server is reachable via UI or CLI login prompt at the configured URL (e.g., `curl -k https://<argocd-url>/api/version` or attempting `argocd login <url>`)
    Affected if The Argo CD login interface is exposed and accepts authentication attempts, making the brute force bypass applicable
  3. Check for unusual login failure patterns
    Review Argo CD server logs with `kubectl logs -n argocd -l app.kubernetes.io/name=argocd-server` for repeated login attempts that did not trigger account lockouts or rate limiting
    Affected if Logs show many failed login attempts against the same account without corresponding lockout or throttling events, indicating the protection may have been bypassed

You are affected if your Argo CD server version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges (below 2.8.13, 2.9.0-2.9.8, or 2.10.0-2.10.3) and the login interface is accessible for authentication attempts.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.8.13 / 2.9.9 / 2.10.4 or later
Fixed in 2.8.132.9.92.10.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Argo CD to versions 2.8.13, 2.9.9, or 2.10.4 to patch this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.8.13, 2.9.9, or 2.10.4 (depending on your current version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current Argo CD version running in your cluster (e.g., kubectl get deployment argocd-server -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}')
  2. 2. Determine your upgrade path based on current version: if on 2.8.x upgrade to 2.8.13; if on 2.9.x upgrade to 2.9.9; if on 2.10.x upgrade to 2.10.4
  3. 3. Review the Argo CD release notes for your target version to check for any breaking changes or migration requirements
  4. 4. Backup your Argo CD application data and configuration (export Argo CD manifest or take volume snapshots if using StatefulSet)
  5. 5. Upgrade Argo CD to the appropriate fixed version using your deployment method (Helm upgrade, kubectl apply, or Argo CD upgrade tool)
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Argo CD server pod is running and the UI is accessible
  7. 7. Confirm brute force protection is now enforced by verifying login attempt limits work correctly
Caveat Review Argo CD release notes for version-specific breaking changes; minor version upgrades within same branch typically have minimal breaking changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Argo Cd Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-21652 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data