CVE-2026-35204

Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. In Helm versions >=4.0.0 and <=4.1.3, a specially crafted Helm plugin, when installed or updated, will cause Helm to write the contents of the plugin to an arbitrary filesystem location.

Workarounds

Validate that the plugin.yaml of the Helm plugin does not include a version: field containing POSIX dot-dot path separators ie. "/../".

A Helm user who installs or updates a plugin that is specially crafted can cause Helm to attempt to write the content of the affected plugin to an arbitrary location on the user's filesystem. Impacted users risk potentially overwriting user and system files which may further compromise the integrity of a system.

Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.

CVE-2026-35204 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (4.1.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

This issue has been patched in Helm v4.1.4

Installing/updating a plugin with a non-SemVer version (which excludes path traversal patterns) will result in an error.

1. What is CVE-2026-35204? CVE-2026-35204 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in helm.sh/helm/v4 (go), affecting versions >= 4.0.0, <= 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.4. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-35204? CVE-2026-35204 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (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.
3. Which versions of helm.sh/helm/v4 are affected by CVE-2026-35204? helm.sh/helm/v4 (go) versions >= 4.0.0, <= 4.1.3 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-35204? Yes. CVE-2026-35204 is fixed in 4.1.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-35204 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-35204 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-35204 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-35204? Upgrade helm.sh/helm/v4 to 4.1.4 or later.