CVE-2020-15185: Duplicated chart entries in Helm

Severity: low (CVSS 2.7 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.9% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-09-17 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-74

Description

In Helm before versions 2.16.11 and 3.3.2, 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). This issue has been patched in Helm 3.3.2 and 2.16.11. A possible workaround is to manually review the index file in the Helm repository cache before installing software.

Affected products

helm: from 2.0.0 before 2.16.11; from 3.0.0 before 3.3.2 — fixed in 2.16.11, 3.3.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: helm 2.16.11, 3.3.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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