CVE-2026-113709: CWE-829: Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere in argoproj argo-cd

Argo CD versions >=2.1.0 and before 3.3.15, 3.4.10, 3.5.4, and 3.6.0-rc2 are vulnerable when the --enable-helm flag is enabled. The vulnerability arises because helmGlobals.configHome can be set to a repository-controlled directory, causing Helm to automatically load and execute a downloader plugin from that location without a separate installation step. This plugin executes inside the argocd-repo-server process as the repo-server user, which can access repository credentials and other process data. An attacker can exploit this by committing malicious Kustomization and plugin files to a Git repository or uploading them via the POST /api/v1/applications/manifestsWithFiles endpoint, which requires only Application get permission on an existing Application. The vulnerability is due to inclusion of functionality from an untrusted control sphere (CWE-829). The issue was fixed in versions 3.3.15, 3.4.10, 3.5.4, and 3.6.0-rc2.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker with limited permissions (Application get) to execute arbitrary code within the argocd-repo-server process. This can lead to disclosure of repository credentials and other sensitive data accessible to the process, as well as full compromise of the affected Argo CD instance. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.9, indicating critical impact with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and no user interaction required.

This vulnerability is fixed in Argo CD versions 3.3.15, 3.4.10, 3.5.4, and 3.6.0-rc2. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the issue. Deployments that do not enable the --enable-helm flag are not affected. No other mitigation is required if the flag is not enabled.