Signed Release Verification

Argo CD releases are cryptographically signed using Sigstore cosign with identity-based (keyless) signing. This ensures that releases are authentic and have not been tampered with.

Prerequisites

Install the required verification tools:

macOS
Linux
Windows

# Install via Homebrew
brew install cosign slsa-verifier crane

# Install cosign
wget https://github.com/sigstore/cosign/releases/latest/download/cosign-linux-amd64
sudo mv cosign-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/cosign
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/cosign

# Install slsa-verifier
wget https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-verifier/releases/latest/download/slsa-verifier-linux-amd64
sudo mv slsa-verifier-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/slsa-verifier
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/slsa-verifier

# Install crane
wget https://github.com/google/go-containerregistry/releases/latest/download/go-containerregistry_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf go-containerregistry_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
sudo mv crane /usr/local/bin/

# Install via Chocolatey
choco install cosign

# slsa-verifier: Download from GitHub releases
# https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-verifier/releases

# crane: Download from GitHub releases
# https://github.com/google/go-containerregistry/releases

Minimum versions: cosign v2.0.0+, slsa-verifier v2.0.0+

Release Assets

Each Argo CD release includes the following assets:

Asset	Description
`argocd-darwin-amd64`	CLI Binary for macOS (Intel)
`argocd-darwin-arm64`	CLI Binary for macOS (Apple Silicon)
`argocd-linux-amd64`	CLI Binary for Linux (x86_64)
`argocd-linux-arm64`	CLI Binary for Linux (ARM64)
`argocd-linux-ppc64le`	CLI Binary for Linux (PowerPC)
`argocd-linux-s390x`	CLI Binary for Linux (IBM Z)
`argocd-windows-amd64.exe`	CLI Binary for Windows
`argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl`	SLSA attestation of CLI binaries
`argocd-sbom.intoto.jsonl`	SLSA attestation of SBOM
`cli_checksums.txt`	SHA256 checksums of binaries
`sbom.tar.gz`	Software Bill of Materials
`sbom.tar.gz.pem`	Certificate used to sign SBOM
`sbom.tar.gz.sig`	Signature of SBOM

Container Image Verification

Verify that a container image was built by the official Argo CD GitHub Actions workflow.

Using cosign

cosign verify \
  --certificate-identity-regexp https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/.github/workflows/image-reuse.yaml@refs/tags/v \
  --certificate-oidc-issuer https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com \
  --certificate-github-workflow-repository "argoproj/argo-cd" \
  quay.io/argoproj/argocd:latest | jq

Expected Output

{
  "critical": {
    "identity": {
      "docker-reference": "quay.io/argoproj/argo-cd"
    },
    "image": {
      "docker-manifest-digest": "sha256:63dc60481b1b2abf271e1f2b866be8a92962b0e53aaa728902caa8ac8d235277"
    },
    "type": "cosign container image signature"
  },
  "optional": {
    "1.3.6.1.4.1.57264.1.1": "https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com",
    "1.3.6.1.4.1.57264.1.4": "Publish ArgoCD Release",
    "1.3.6.1.4.1.57264.1.5": "argoproj/argo-cd",
    "1.3.6.1.4.1.57264.1.6": "refs/tags/v2.11.3"
  }
}

The command performs these checks:

✅ Cosign claims validated
✅ Existence in transparency log verified offline
✅ Certificates verified against Fulcio roots

Using slsa-verifier

Verify with SLSA Level 3 provenance attestation:

# Get immutable image digest to prevent TOCTOU attacks
IMAGE=quay.io/argoproj/argocd:v2.11.3
IMAGE="${IMAGE}@$(crane digest "${IMAGE}")"

# Verify provenance
slsa-verifier verify-image "$IMAGE" \
  --source-uri github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --source-tag v2.11.3

Always use the immutable digest (SHA256) to prevent TOCTOU attacks where the tag could be updated between verification and deployment.

CLI Binary Verification

Each release includes a single attestation file (argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl) that can verify all CLI binaries.

Download and Verify

Download Binary and Attestation

VERSION=v2.11.3
PLATFORM=linux-amd64  # or darwin-amd64, windows-amd64, etc.

# Download CLI binary
curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/download/${VERSION}/argocd-${PLATFORM}

# Download attestation
curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/download/${VERSION}/argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl

Verify Binary

slsa-verifier verify-artifact argocd-${PLATFORM} \
  --provenance-path argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl \
  --source-uri github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --source-tag ${VERSION}

Expected Output

Verified signature against tlog entry index 1234567890 at URL: https://rekor.sigstore.dev/api/v1/log/entries/...
Verified build using builder https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/generator_generic_slsa3.yml@refs/tags/v1.9.0 at commit abc123...

PASSED: Verified SLSA provenance

Install Binary

chmod +x argocd-${PLATFORM}
sudo mv argocd-${PLATFORM} /usr/local/bin/argocd
argocd version

Semantic Version Verification

Verify against major or minor version instead of full version:

# Verify against minor version (v2.11.x)
slsa-verifier verify-artifact argocd-linux-amd64 \
  --provenance-path argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl \
  --source-uri github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --source-versioned-tag v2.11

# Verify against major version (v2.x.x)
slsa-verifier verify-artifact argocd-linux-amd64 \
  --provenance-path argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl \
  --source-uri github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --source-versioned-tag v2

Print Provenance Details

slsa-verifier verify-artifact argocd-linux-amd64 \
  --provenance-path argocd-cli.intoto.jsonl \
  --source-uri github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --source-tag v2.11.3 \
  --print-provenance | jq

SBOM Verification

Argo CD provides a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for supply chain security and vulnerability scanning.

Verify SBOM with SLSA

Download SBOM and Attestation

VERSION=v2.11.3
curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/download/${VERSION}/sbom.tar.gz
curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/download/${VERSION}/argocd-sbom.intoto.jsonl

Verify Attestation

slsa-verifier verify-artifact sbom.tar.gz \
  --provenance-path argocd-sbom.intoto.jsonl \
  --source-uri github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --source-tag ${VERSION}

Extract and Inspect

tar -xzf sbom.tar.gz
cat sbom.json | jq '.components[] | select(.name | contains("golang"))'

Verify SBOM Signature (Alternative)

Verify using the signature and certificate files:

cosign verify-blob sbom.tar.gz \
  --signature sbom.tar.gz.sig \
  --certificate sbom.tar.gz.pem \
  --certificate-identity-regexp https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd \
  --certificate-oidc-issuer https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com

Verification in Kubernetes

Admission Controllers

Kyverno
Sigstore Policy Controller
Connaisseur

Enforce image signature verification with Kyverno:

apiVersion: kyverno.io/v1
kind: ClusterPolicy
metadata:
  name: verify-argocd-images
spec:
  validationFailureAction: Enforce
  background: false
  rules:
  - name: verify-signature
    match:
      any:
      - resources:
          kinds:
          - Pod
          namespaces:
          - argocd
    verifyImages:
    - imageReferences:
      - "quay.io/argoproj/argocd*"
      attestors:
      - entries:
        - keyless:
            subject: "https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/.github/workflows/image-reuse.yaml@*"
            issuer: "https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com"
            rekor:
              url: https://rekor.sigstore.dev

Deploy the Sigstore policy controller:

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/sigstore/policy-controller/releases/latest/download/release.yaml

Create a ClusterImagePolicy:

apiVersion: policy.sigstore.dev/v1beta1
kind: ClusterImagePolicy
metadata:
  name: argocd-image-policy
spec:
  images:
  - glob: "quay.io/argoproj/argocd**"
  authorities:
  - keyless:
      url: https://fulcio.sigstore.dev
      identities:
      - issuer: https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com
        subjectRegExp: "https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/.*"

Configure Connaisseur for Argo CD:

apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: connaisseur-config
  namespace: connaisseur
data:
  policy: |
    validators:
    - name: argocd-validator
      type: cosign
      trust_root:
        keyless:
          certificate_oidc_issuer: https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com
          certificate_identity_regexp: "https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/.*"
    rules:
    - pattern: "quay.io/argoproj/argocd:*"
      validator: argocd-validator

Verify in CI/CD Pipeline

Integrate verification into your deployment pipeline:

name: Verify and Deploy
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  verify-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - name: Install cosign
      uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v3
    
    - name: Verify Argo CD image
      run: |
        cosign verify \
          --certificate-identity-regexp https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/.github/workflows/image-reuse.yaml@refs/tags/v \
          --certificate-oidc-issuer https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com \
          --certificate-github-workflow-repository "argoproj/argo-cd" \
          quay.io/argoproj/argocd:${{ env.ARGOCD_VERSION }}
    
    - name: Deploy
      run: |
        kubectl apply -f argocd-install.yaml

Checksum Verification

For additional verification, compare checksums:

# Download checksum file
curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/download/v2.11.3/cli_checksums.txt

# Verify binary checksum
sha256sum -c cli_checksums.txt --ignore-missing

# Or manually:
sha256sum argocd-linux-amd64
grep argocd-linux-amd64 cli_checksums.txt

Troubleshooting

Verification failed: certificate identity

Error: none of the expected identities matchedCause: Certificate identity regexp doesn’t match the actual identitySolution: Verify you’re using the correct identity pattern for the version:

--certificate-identity-regexp https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/.github/workflows/image-reuse.yaml@refs/tags/v

TOCTOU attack warning

Warning: Using mutable tag referenceSolution: Always use the digest for verification:

IMAGE="quay.io/argoproj/argocd:v2.11.3@$(crane digest quay.io/argoproj/argocd:v2.11.3)"
slsa-verifier verify-image "$IMAGE" ...

Network issues with Rekor

Error: failed to fetch transparency log entryCause: Cannot reach rekor.sigstore.devSolution: Ensure outbound HTTPS access to:

rekor.sigstore.dev (port 443)
fulcio.sigstore.dev (port 443)
tuf-repo-cdn.sigstore.dev (port 443)

Old releases not signed

Issue: Releases before v2.4.0 are not signedSolution: Upgrade to v2.4.0 or later to use signature verification. For older versions, rely on:

Checksum verification
Downloading from official GitHub releases only
Verifying Git tag signatures

Best Practices

Always Verify

Verify signatures for all production deployments

Use Admission Control

Enforce verification at the cluster level

Pin Digests

Use immutable image digests in production

Automate Verification

Integrate verification into CI/CD pipelines

Monitor Supply Chain

Use SBOM for vulnerability scanning

Trust Policy

Document which sources are trusted

Security Overview

Comprehensive security architecture

TLS Configuration

Configure component TLS certificates

Sigstore Documentation

Learn more about Sigstore and keyless signing

SLSA Framework

Supply chain security framework

Get Started

Installation

Core Features

Configuration

Application Management

ApplicationSet

Manifest Sources

Operations

Security

Signed Release Verification

Prerequisites

Release Assets

Container Image Verification

Using cosign

Using slsa-verifier

CLI Binary Verification

Download and Verify

Semantic Version Verification

Print Provenance Details

SBOM Verification

Verify SBOM with SLSA

Verify SBOM Signature (Alternative)

Verification in Kubernetes

Admission Controllers

Verify in CI/CD Pipeline

Checksum Verification

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Always Verify

Use Admission Control

Pin Digests

Automate Verification

Monitor Supply Chain

Trust Policy

Security Overview

TLS Configuration

Sigstore Documentation

SLSA Framework

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Installation

Core Features

Configuration

Application Management

ApplicationSet

Manifest Sources

Operations

Security

​Prerequisites

​Release Assets

​Container Image Verification

​Using cosign

​Using slsa-verifier

​CLI Binary Verification

​Download and Verify

​Semantic Version Verification

​Print Provenance Details

​SBOM Verification

​Verify SBOM with SLSA

​Verify SBOM Signature (Alternative)

​Verification in Kubernetes

​Admission Controllers

​Verify in CI/CD Pipeline

​Checksum Verification

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

Always Verify

Use Admission Control

Pin Digests

Automate Verification

Monitor Supply Chain

Trust Policy

​Related Resources

Security Overview

TLS Configuration

Sigstore Documentation

SLSA Framework

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Prerequisites

Release Assets

Container Image Verification

Using cosign

Using slsa-verifier

CLI Binary Verification

Download and Verify

Semantic Version Verification

Print Provenance Details

SBOM Verification

Verify SBOM with SLSA

Verify SBOM Signature (Alternative)

Verification in Kubernetes

Admission Controllers

Verify in CI/CD Pipeline

Checksum Verification

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Related Resources