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Repository index file allows for duplicates of the same chart entry in helm

Low severity GitHub Reviewed Published Sep 17, 2020 in helm/helm • Updated Oct 2, 2023

Package

gomod helm.sh/helm (Go)

Affected versions

< 2.16.11

Patched versions

2.16.11
gomod helm.sh/helm/v3 (Go)
>= 3.0.0, < 3.3.2
3.3.2

Description

Impact

During a security audit of Helm's code base, security researchers at Trail of Bits identified a bug in which the a Helm repository can contain duplicates of the same chart, with the last one always used. If a repository is compromised, this lowers the level of access that an attacker needs to inject a bad chart into a repository.

To perform this attack, an attacker must have write access to the index file (which can occur during a MITM attack on a non-SSL connection).

Specific Go Packages Affected

helm.sh/helm/v3/pkg/repo

Patches

This issue has been patched in Helm 3.3.2 and 2.16.11

Workarounds

  • do not install charts from repositories you do not trust
  • fetch charts using a secure channel of communication (such as TLS)
  • use helm pull to fetch the chart, then review the chart’s content (either manually, or with helm verify if it has been signed) to ensure it has not been tampered with
  • manually review the index file in the Helm repository cache before installing software.

References

@technosophos technosophos published to helm/helm Sep 17, 2020
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Sep 17, 2020
Reviewed May 24, 2021
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database May 24, 2021
Last updated Oct 2, 2023

Severity

Low

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

EPSS score

0.050%
(20th percentile)

CVE ID

CVE-2020-15185

GHSA ID

GHSA-jm56-5h66-w453

Source code

No known source code
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