CVE-2023-23947 | Argo CD users with any cluster secret update access may update out-of-bounds cluster secrets

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. All Argo CD versions starting with 2.3.0-rc1 and prior to 2.3.17, 2.4.23 2.5.11, and 2.6.2 are vulnerable to an improper authorization bug which allows users who have the ability to update at least one cluster secret to update any cluster secret. The attacker could use this access to escalate privileges (potentially controlling Kubernetes resources) or to break Argo CD functionality (by preventing connections to external clusters). A patch for this vulnerability has been released in Argo CD versions 2.6.2, 2.5.11, 2.4.23, and 2.3.17. Two workarounds are available. Either modify the RBAC configuration to completely revoke all `clusters, update` access, or use the `destinations` and `clusterResourceWhitelist` fields to apply similar restrictions as the `namespaces` and `clusterResources` fields.

Published: 2023-02-16 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-23947 is rated Moderate Risk (53.1/100): CVSS Critical severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.67%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-23947

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.40% 0.67% +0.27%
2 2026-03-02 0.20% 0.40% +0.20%
3 2025-11-21 — 0.20% —

Full EPSS history (10 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-23947

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.1 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.3 6.0 [email protected]
8.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-23947

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-23947

GHSA-3jfq-742w-xg8j · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: go — Users with any cluster secret update access may update out-of-bounds cluster secrets

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-23947

vendor priority summary link
redhat high — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-23947

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-23947

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
argoproj argo_cd >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.17 cpe:2.3:a:argoproj:argo_cd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
argoproj argo_cd >= 2.4.0, < 2.4.23 cpe:2.3:a:argoproj:argo_cd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
argoproj argo_cd >= 2.5.0, < 2.5.11 cpe:2.3:a:argoproj:argo_cd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
argoproj argo_cd >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.2 cpe:2.3:a:argoproj:argo_cd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-23947

cvelogic Threat Intelligence