{"id":74174,"date":"2025-09-11T15:45:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:45:59","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-29T01:04:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T07:04:14","slug":"cve-2025-55190-argo-cd-api-tokens-expose-sensitive-repository-credentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-55190-argo-cd-api-tokens-expose-sensitive-repository-credentials\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-55190: Argo CD API Tokens Expose Sensitive Repository Credentials<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

The CVE-2025-55190 is a high-severity vulnerability that affects Argo CD, an open-source declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. The vulnerability exposes sensitive repository credentials, such as usernames and passwords, enabling potential attackers to compromise the system and gain unauthorized access to data. Given the widespread use of Argo CD in Kubernetes deployments for automating and speeding up software delivery, this vulnerability could potentially affect a large number of organizations<\/a>, making it a significant concern in the cybersecurity landscape.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-55190
\nSeverity: Critical (CVSS: 9.9)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: None
\nImpact: System compromise<\/a>, Data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Argo CD | 2.13.0 to 2.13.8
\nArgo CD | 2.14.0 to 2.14.15
\nArgo CD | 3.0.0 to 3.0.12
\nArgo CD | 3.1.0-rc1 to 3.1.1<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability lies in Argo CD’s project details API<\/a> endpoint. In the affected versions, API tokens with project-level permissions can retrieve sensitive<\/a> repository credentials. This exploit can occur even when the token only has standard application management permissions<\/a> and no explicit access to secrets. The vulnerability isn’t confined to project-level permissions<\/a>. Any token with project get permissions, including global permissions such as: `p, role\/user, projects, get, *, allow`, is vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is a conceptual example demonstrating how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability:<\/p>\n

GET \/api\/v1\/projects\/ HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nAuthorization: Bearer <\/code><\/pre>\n
In the above example, an attacker using a valid API token with project get permissions sends a GET request to the project details endpoint. The server responds with project details, including sensitive repository credentials<\/a>, thereby exposing them to the attacker.<\/p>\n
Mitigation Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n
The vulnerability has been fixed in Argo CD versions<\/a> 2.13.9, 2.14.16, 3.0.14, and 3.1.2. It is strongly recommended that all users of affected versions upgrade to a patched version immediately. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, using a web application firewall (WAF) or intrusion detection system (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure, although it does not guarantee full protection against potential exploitation of this vulnerability<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview The CVE-2025-55190 is a high-severity vulnerability that affects Argo CD, an open-source declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. The vulnerability exposes sensitive repository credentials, such as usernames and passwords, enabling potential attackers to compromise the system and gain unauthorized access to data. Given the widespread use of Argo CD in Kubernetes deployments for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[89],"product":[],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-74174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-kubernetes"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t