Argo CD Secret Exposure Vulnerability in Kubernetes Resource Sync

A vulnerability in Argo CD, a GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, allows for the exposure of secret values in error messages and the diff view. This issue arises when an invalid Kubernetes Secret resource is synced from a repository. The vulnerability affects Argo CD versions through 2.13.3, 2.12.9, and 2.11.12. It requires the user to have write access to the repository, where they can commit an invalid Secret and trigger a sync. Once the vulnerability is exploited, any user with read access to Argo CD can access the exposed secret data.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability leads to the unauthorized exposure of secret data within Argo CD, accessible to users with read permissions.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, commit an invalid Kubernetes Secret resource to a repository. Ensure that the Secret contains errors, such as incorrect data types or base64 encoding issues. After committing the invalid Secret, trigger a sync in Argo CD. The invalid Secret will cause an error that exposes the secret values in the error message and the diff view. This can be automated with a test that syncs an invalid Secret and checks the error output for exposed secret data.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to Argo CD versions 2.13.4, 2.12.10, or 2.11.13 to address this vulnerability.