Auth bypass in Argoproj Argo-Workflows

CVE-2026-42296

Argo Workflows is an open source container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs on Kubernetes. Prior to versions 3.7.14 and 4.0.5, a user with create Workflow permission can bypass templateReferencing: Strict to get host network access, switch service accounts, override pod security context, add tolerations to schedule on control-plane nodes, or enable SA token mounting. This defeats the stated purpose of the feature. The practical impact depends on what Kubernetes-level controls are in place. Clusters with PodSecurity admission or OPA/Gatekeeper would independently block some of these (like hostNetwork). Clusters that rely on Argo's Strict mode as the primary enforcement layer are fully exposed. This issue has been patched in versions 3.7.14 and 4.0.5.

Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control

EPSS: 0.004 (35.5th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-42296?
CVE-2026-42296 is a high-severity vulnerability in Argoproj Argo-Workflows, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 8.1/10. Published 2026-05-09.
How severe is CVE-2026-42296?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.1 out of 10.