Summary
A Helm contributor discovered uninitialized variable vulnerability when Helm parses index and plugin yaml files missing expected content.
Workarounds
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.
For more information
Helm's security policy is spelled out in detail in our SECURITY document.
Credits
Disclosed by Jakub Ciolek at AlphaSense.
Impact
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.
CVE-2024-26147 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.14.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.14.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-26147? CVE-2024-26147 is a high-severity security vulnerability in helm.sh/helm/v3 (go), affecting versions < 3.14.2. It is fixed in 3.14.2.
- How severe is CVE-2024-26147? CVE-2024-26147 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of helm.sh/helm/v3 are affected by CVE-2024-26147? helm.sh/helm/v3 (go) versions < 3.14.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-26147? Yes. CVE-2024-26147 is fixed in 3.14.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-26147 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-26147 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-26147 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-26147? Upgrade
helm.sh/helm/v3to 3.14.2 or later.