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TI-2025-12691 Aliases CVE-2025-13888GHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v

Openshift-gitops-operator: openshift gitops: namespace admin cluster takeover via privileged jobs

Priority MEDIUM 42CWE-266Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
Privilege escalation
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
High · High · High
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-266.

Summary

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.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00691 53rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed gitops-operator (redhat-developer): 1.16.2github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator (Go): 1.16.2Red Hat: 4 advisories

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Technical impact
Total

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
redhat-developergitops-operatorbefore 1.16.21.16.2Patch availableCNA
Red HatRed Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16—sha256:c41c99f360a2515bce55c42e309e2c72500ba66d3a2c461412dee7de5ea9a9faPatch availableCNA
Red HatRed Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17—sha256:27e7a59bb5c5f60be7509e5f4f07f4181d62e6583a943c46f56f568bfc30c2c1Patch availableCNA
Red HatRed Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18—sha256:3eb6308c58365182b4b5b5aabf35754d821e25b8a04b0595900fb47d52cd3eccPatch availableCNA
Red HatRed Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18—sha256:43ba408b8ed58259bf338fd29260d936fbde9846f772d0580b3e7486ef8ea300Patch availableCNA
Red HatRed Hat OpenShift GitOps——Not affectedCNA
—github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator (Go)before 1.16.21.16.2Patch availableGHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v
  • gitops-operator Vendorredhat-developer Affected before 1.16.2 Fixed in 1.16.2 Patch available CNA
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in sha256:c41c99f360a2515bce55c42e309e2c72500ba66d3a2c461412dee7de5ea9a9fa Patch available CNA
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in sha256:27e7a59bb5c5f60be7509e5f4f07f4181d62e6583a943c46f56f568bfc30c2c1 Patch available CNA
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in sha256:3eb6308c58365182b4b5b5aabf35754d821e25b8a04b0595900fb47d52cd3ecc Patch available CNA
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in sha256:43ba408b8ed58259bf338fd29260d936fbde9846f772d0580b3e7486ef8ea300 Patch available CNA
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
  • github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator (Go) Vendor— Affected before 1.16.2 Fixed in 1.16.2 Patch available GHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v

CPE names CNA · 4

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1.16::el81.16—Red Hat
cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1.17::el81.17—Red Hat
cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1.18::el81.18—Red Hat
cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:11—Red Hat
  • cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1.16::el8 Versions 1.16 — ·Red Hat
  • cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1.17::el8 Versions 1.17 — ·Red Hat
  • cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1.18::el8 Versions 1.18 — ·Red Hat
  • cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_gitops:1 Versions 1 — ·Red Hat

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA gitops-operator (redhat-developer) Fixed in 1.16.2
  • Fix · GHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v github.com/redhat-developer/gitops-operator (Go) Fixed in 1.16.2 Advisory →

Red Hat 4 advisories

  • RHSA-2026:1017 Released 2026-01-22 · Red Hat rating Important
    Red Hat OpenShift GitOps v1.18.3 security update
    • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argo-rollouts-rhel8, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-agent-rhel8, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8 +4
  • RHSA-2025:23207 Released 2025-12-15 · Red Hat rating Important
    Red Hat OpenShift GitOps v1.16.5 security update
    • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16 registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/dex-rhel8 +1
  • RHSA-2025:23206 Released 2025-12-15 · Red Hat rating Important
    Red Hat OpenShift GitOps v1.17.3 security update
    • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17 registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/dex-rhel8 +1
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
  • RHSA-2025:23203 Released 2025-12-15 · Red Hat rating Important
    Red Hat OpenShift GitOps v1.18.2 security update
    • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel8, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/argocd-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/openshift-gitops-1/gitops-rhel8-operator

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16Fixed RHSA-2025:23207
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17Fixed RHSA-2025:23206
Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18Fixed RHSA-2025:23203, RHSA-2026:1017
Not affected: 4 products
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17
  • Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-13888
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-pcqx-8qww-7f4v

References

Advisory 5

Other 6

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences