---
title: "CVE-2026-113708: Argo CD: A Kustomize remote ref can run commands in the repo-server"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-113708/
description: "CVE-2026-113708 (argoproj argo-cd): Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. From 2.7.0 until 3.3.15, 3.4.10, 3.5.4, and…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-10-20
date_modified: 2026-10-21
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2026-113708"
kev: false
cvss: 9.9
epss: 0.00666
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2026-113708: Argo CD: A Kustomize remote ref can run commands in the repo-server

**Signal:** Critical, preconditions apply. Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- 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 51: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 51% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Editorial verdict: Patch this week. Argo CD: Repo-Server RCE and AppProject Bypass (Oct 2026) — Upgrade Argo CD to a patched 3.3, 3.4 or 3.5 release this week, and today on shared instances where people you do not fully trust can push to tracked repos or merely view an Application.

## What it is

Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. From 2.7.0 until 3.3.15, 3.4.10, 3.5.4, and 3.6.0-rc2, Kustomize passes ref or version query values from remote resource, base, or component URLs to git fetch without an end-of-options separator. A leading-hyphen value can be parsed as --upload-pack and execute a command inside argocd-repo-server when the remote uses a local transport such as file://. Git does not run the supplied command for an https:// remote. The local transport does not leave the pod, so blocking repo-server egress does not prevent the execution. The command runs as the repo-server user, can read repository credentials and other process-accessible data, and can return output through manifest-generation errors. An attacker can commit a Kustomization to a Git repository that an Application builds or upload files through POST /api/v1/applications/manifestsWithFiles, also exposed by argocd app diff --local --server-side-generate. The upload path requires only Application get permission on an existing Application, without Application update or sync permission or repository write access. Kustomize 5.0.0 introduced acceptance of file://, whereas 4.5.7 rejects that transport; replacing the affected Kustomize with a newer version alone does not correct the missing option separator. This issue is fixed in versions 3.3.15, 3.4.10, 3.5.4, and 3.6.0-rc2.

## Affected products (CVE record)

- argoproj argo-cd: >= 2.7.0, < 3.3.15, >= 3.4.0-rc1, < 3.4.10, >= 3.5.0-rc1, < 3.5.4, >= 3.6.0-rc1, < 3.6.0-rc2

## Severity

- GitHub_M CVSS 3.1: 9.9 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`

## Exploitation

- 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): 0.67% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 51.

## Sources

- [CVE.org record CVE-2026-113708](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-113708)
- [NVD entry CVE-2026-113708](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-113708)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/security/advisories/GHSA-9v9p-x54c-58gc)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/security/advisories/GHSA-j6cw-g6p4-7hch)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/pull/12299)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/commit/25badeb7a1e154805340bb7237e0ce671f3772dd)
- [argo-cd.readthedocs.io](https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/en/stable/user-guide/kustomize/#custom-kustomize-versions)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/tag/v3.3.15)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/tag/v3.4.10)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/tag/v3.5.4)
- [github.com](https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/tag/v3.6.0-rc2)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-113708/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt