Vulnerability · Published May 9, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-42296Argo Workflows has incomplete fix for CVE-2026-31892: hostNetwork, securityContext, serviceAccountName bypass templateReferencing Strict/Secure
High 8.1
In plain English
A high-severity incorrect authorization in argo-workflows from argoproj. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.4% (higher than 37% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
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.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows | no fix listed | GO-2026-5072 |
| Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v2 | no fix listed | GO-2026-5072 |
| Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 | 3.7.14 | GHSA-3775-99mw-8rp4 |
| Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3 | 3.7.14 | GO-2026-5072 |
| Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v4 | 4.0.5 | GHSA-3775-99mw-8rp4 |
| Go | github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v4 | 4.0.5 | GO-2026-5072 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| argoproj | argo-workflows | < 3.7.14>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.5 |
Weakness: CWE-863 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
References
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/security/advisories/GHSA-3775-99mw-8rp4 x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/commit/534f4ff1cbd86908e8ff76d97d553ad5a49a950d x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/releases/tag/v3.7.14 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/releases/tag/v4.0.5 x_refsource_MISC
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42296 vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2468446 issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-42296.json x_sadp-csaf-vex