Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2025-13888: OpenShift GitOps authenticated attackers can obtain cluster root access through forged ArgoCD custom resources
A flaw was found in OpenShift GitOps. Namespace admins can create ArgoCD Custom Resources (CRs) that trick the system into granting them elevated permissions in other namespaces, including privileged namespaces.
CVSS 9.1 Critical EPSS 0.7% · p52
Should you act?
Critical, preconditions apply
Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.7%, percentile 52: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 52% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (high (admin)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator(Go) < 1.16.2, fixed in 1.16.2. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
A flaw was found in OpenShift GitOps. Namespace admins can create ArgoCD Custom Resources (CRs) that trick the system into granting them elevated permissions in other namespaces, including privileged namespaces. An authenticated attacker can then use these elevated permissions to create privileged workloads that run on master nodes, effectively giving them root access to the entire cluster.
From the GitHub advisory
A flaw was found in OpenShift GitOps. Namespace admins can create ArgoCD Custom Resources (CRs) that trick the system into granting them elevated permissions in other namespaces, including privileged namespaces. An authenticated attacker can then use these elevated permissions to create privileged workloads that run on master nodes, effectively giving them root access to the entire cluster.
Weakness type: CWE-266.
Product: github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator (Go) · Assigned by: redhat · Published: 2025-12-15
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator | < 1.16.2 | 1.16.2 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| redhat-developer | gitops-operator | < 1.16.2 |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16 | see vendor advisory |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17 | see vendor advisory |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 | see vendor advisory |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 | see vendor advisory |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps | see vendor advisory |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| redhat | 3.1 | 9.1 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: high (admin)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: changed (can affect other components)
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.69% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 52.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by redhat
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v published (critical)
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- RHSA-2025:23203 access.redhat.com
- RHSA-2025:23206 access.redhat.com
- RHSA-2025:23207 access.redhat.com
- RHSA-2026:1017 access.redhat.com
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2025-13888 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2025-13888 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- access.redhat.com access.redhat.com
- RHBZ#2418361 bugzilla.redhat.com
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com