Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. Versions prior to 3.14.2 contain an uninitialized variable vulnerability when Helm parses index and plugin yaml files missing expected content. When either an `index.yaml` file or a plugins `plugin.yaml` file were missing all metadata a panic would occur in Helm. In the Helm SDK, this is found when using the `LoadIndexFile` or `DownloadIndexFile` functions in the `repo` package or the `LoadDir` function in the `plugin` package. For the Helm client this impacts functions around adding a repository and all Helm functions if a malicious plugin is added as Helm inspects all known plugins on each invocation. This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.14.2. If a malicious plugin has been added which is causing all Helm client commands to panic, the malicious plugin can be manually removed from the filesystem. If using Helm SDK versions prior to 3.14.2, calls to affected functions can use `recover` to catch the panic.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from helm organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2024, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2024-02-21T23:15:08.763
2025-01-09T14:40:25.983
Analyzed
CVSSv3.1: 7.5 (HIGH)
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For helm's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.