CVE-2025-61560 in Argo CD
Summary
by MITRE • 10/09/2026
A race condition vulnerability in the SessionManager of CNCF: Cloud Native Computing Foundation Argo CD v3.0.6 allows attackers to bypass rate limiting and perform a brute force attack via repeated crafted requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/09/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the SessionManager component of Argo CD version 3.0.6, representing a critical race condition vulnerability that undermines the integrity of authentication mechanisms. This specific implementation defect allows an adversary to exploit timing discrepancies in how session tokens are validated and managed during concurrent requests. By sending multiple crafted requests simultaneously or in rapid succession, attackers can manipulate the state of the session management logic before it is properly synchronized. This lack of atomicity creates a window where rate limiting controls fail to enforce their intended restrictions effectively, thereby neutralizing one of the primary defenses against automated credential stuffing and brute force attacks.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-362, which classifies race conditions involving concurrent access and updates to a shared resource without adequate locking or synchronization mechanisms. In the context of Argo CD, the SessionManager is responsible for handling user authentication sessions and enforcing security policies such as login attempt limits. When multiple requests arrive concurrently, the system may process them in an order that bypasses the counter increments used by rate limiting algorithms. Consequently, the application fails to recognize that a threshold has been exceeded, allowing continued access attempts from a single source IP or identity without triggering account lockouts or temporary bans. This behavior is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to maintain persistent pressure on authentication endpoints indefinitely, provided they can sustain the required concurrency levels.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations relying on Argo CD for continuous deployment and GitOps workflows. Successful exploitation enables unauthorized users to perform brute force attacks against administrative accounts or service principals with significantly reduced risk of detection or interruption. This increases the likelihood of credential compromise, which could lead to full system takeover if weak passwords are used. Furthermore, because Argo CD often manages sensitive infrastructure configurations in Kubernetes clusters, gaining access through this vector can result in widespread disruption, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the cluster environment. The ability to bypass rate limiting also facilitates denial-of-service conditions by exhausting server resources with high-volume authentication attempts that would otherwise be throttled.
This vulnerability maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1110.001, which describes Brute Force: Password Guessing, specifically highlighting the sub-technique of bypassing rate limiting controls. It also relates to CWE-829 regarding inclusion of functionality from an untrusted control sector when session management is not properly secured against concurrent manipulation. The flaw underscores the importance of implementing robust synchronization primitives in authentication modules and ensuring that state changes are atomic operations protected by appropriate locks or database transactions.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action should be taken to upgrade Argo CD to a patched version where the SessionManager has been hardened against race conditions. In environments where upgrading is not immediately feasible, organizations can implement external rate limiting solutions such as API gateways or reverse proxies that enforce stricter concurrency controls and connection throttling at the network layer rather than relying solely on application-level checks. Additionally, enforcing multi-factor authentication for all administrative accounts adds a critical secondary barrier against brute force attempts regardless of session management flaws. Regular security audits focusing on concurrent access patterns in authentication flows are recommended to identify similar vulnerabilities across other components of the CI/CD pipeline infrastructure.