argoproj / argoproj/argo-workflows

Change executor default service account from `default` to `workflow` to avoid accidentally over-permissioning

Open
#7,955 0 comments 4 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
area/executor area/manifests type/security
Dominant language
Go
Stars
17k
Forks
3.7k
Avg merge
1d 20h
Merged PRs (30d)
138

Description

# Summary

Today, if a workflow does not specify a service account, we use the default service account. Because the default service account maybe used for many things, it is likely we see many additional privileges added to it over time - until it becomes god like.

Users should never use the default service account in production.

Instead:

- [ ] Print a warning in the controller when the default service account is used.
- [ ] Print a warning in the CLI when the default service account is used.
- [ ] Print a warning in the UI when the default service account is used.
- [ ] Allow a configuration of the default account to use in the controller configmap. Provide a minimal `serviceaccount/workflow` (role and role-binding).
- [ ] Change the defaulte configuration of the default account to be `serviceaccounts/workflow`.

# Use Cases

Improve default security posture.

---

**Message from the maintainers**:

Love this enhancement proposal? Give it a 👍. We prioritise the proposals with the most 👍.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by locating the controller, CLI, and UI paths that select or report the workflow service account, plus the controller ConfigMap and existing service-account role manifests. Trace the current defaulting behavior and review how warnings and RBAC resources are represented. Done means all listed warnings, configurable defaulting, minimal workflow permissions, and the new default are implemented and verified across those components.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
go, kubernetes
Domain
backend, cli, devops, frontend, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.