How severe is CVE-2023-23947?

CVE-2023-23947 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-23947 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (48th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-23947?

CVE-2023-23947 affects Argoproj Argo Cd. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-23947?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2023-23947 published?

CVE-2023-23947 was published on 2023-02-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-23947

CVE-2023-23947 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Argoproj Argo Cd with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-863.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.1)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (48th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-863
Affected product: Argoproj Argo Cd
Published: 2023-02-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-23947?: 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.
How severe is CVE-2023-23947?: CVE-2023-23947 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-23947 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (48th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-23947?: CVE-2023-23947 affects Argoproj Argo Cd. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-23947?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2023-23947 published?: CVE-2023-23947 was published on 2023-02-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:argoproj:argo_cd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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