CVE Intelligence
Critical

CVE-2026-6388 — ArgoCD Image Updater: cross-namespace privilege escalation via ImageUpdater resources

A flaw was found in ArgoCD Image Updater. This vulnerability allows an attacker, with permissions to create or modify an ImageUpdater resource in a multi-tenant environment, to bypass namespace boundaries. By exploiting insufficient validation, the attacker can trigger unauthorized image updates on applications managed by other tenants. This leads to cross-namespace privilege escalation, impacting application integrity through unauthorized application updates.

Published Apr 15, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: redhat

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.4% (30-day exploitation probability)+5
  • Technical severity (critical)+10

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.41%
ahead of 33% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
Red Hat
Openshift Gitops
CVSS base
9.1
Critical · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Red Hat Openshift Gitops).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Red Hat Openshift Gitops versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
High
Availability
Low

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
9.1 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.1 5.3 secalert@redhat.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.1 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.1 5.3 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.1 CVSS 3.1 Critical — — redhat via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L (score shown at the top: secalert@redhat.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-1220

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.41%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Analysis and videos

CVE-2026-6388: ArgoCD Image Updater: cross-namespace privilege escalation via ImageUpdater resources
A flaw in ArgoCD Image Updater lets a user who can create or modify an ImageUpdater resource cross namespace boundaries in multi-tenant clusters. The record describes unauthorized image updates on applications owned by other tenants, leading to cross-namespace privilege escalation. The CNA rates it critical with CVSS 3.1 base score 9.1, while the record lists no fixed version and no confirmed exploitation appears in the sources consulted.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · red hat/red hat openshift gitops
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 9.1
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Awaiting Analysis
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Apr 15, 2026 · redhat

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

3 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Red Hat
every CVE for this vendor
CWE-1220
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-14251 Gitops-operator: gitops-operator: missing allowednamespace check in reconcilerhook for clusterrole/role cases enables potential privilege escalation and dos Jul 15, 2026
  • CVE-2026-15416 Argo-cd: argo cd unauthenticated remote code execution in repo-server via generatemanifest grpc endpoint Jul 14, 2026
  • CVE-2025-11065 Github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/v2: go-viper's mapstructure may leak sensitive information in logs in github.com/go-viper/mapstructure Jan 26, 2026
  • CVE-2024-9355 Golang-fips: golang fips zeroed buffer Oct 1, 2024
  • CVE-2024-1394 Golang-fips/openssl: memory leaks in code encrypting and decrypting rsa payloads Mar 21, 2024
  • CVE-2023-48795 Prefix Truncation Attack against ChaCha20-Poly1305 and Encrypt-then-MAC aka Terrapin Dec 18, 2023

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-6388 is "ArgoCD Image Updater: cross-namespace privilege escalation via ImageUpdater resources", rated Critical. It affects Openshift Gitops (Red Hat); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.41% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

Comments

Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.

No comments yet.

Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.