Summary
Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. In Helm versions <=3.20.1 and <=4.1.3, a specially crafted Chart will cause helm pull --untar [chart URL | repo/chartname] to write the Chart's contents to the immediate output directory (as defaulted to the current working directory; or as given by the --destination and --untardir flags), rather than the expected output directory suffixed by the chart's name.
Workarounds
Ensure the the name of the Chart does not comprise/contain POSIX pathname special directory references ie. dot-dot ("..") or dot ("."). In addition, ensuring that the pull --untar flag (or equivalent SDK option) refers to a unique/empty output directory prevents chart extraction from inadvertently overwriting existing files within the specified directory.
Credits
Oleh Konko
@1seal
Impact
The bug enables writing the Chart's contents (unpackaged/untar'ed) to the output directory <output dir>/, instead of the expected <output dir>/<chart name>/, potentially overwriting the contents of the targeted directory.
Note: a chart name containing POSIX dot-dot, or dot-dot and slashes (as if to refer to parent directories) do not resolve beyond the output directory as designed.
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.
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 v3.20.2 and v4.1.3
A Chart with an unexpected name (those specified to be "." or ".."), or a Chart name which results in a non-unique directory will be rejected.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-35206? CVE-2026-35206 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in helm.sh/helm/v4 (go), affecting versions <= 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.4, 3.20.2. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-35206?
helm.sh/helm/v4(go) (versions <= 4.1.3)helm.sh/helm/v3(go) (versions <= 3.20.1)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-35206? Yes. CVE-2026-35206 is fixed in 4.1.4, 3.20.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-35206 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-35206 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-2026-35206 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-2026-35206?
- Upgrade
helm.sh/helm/v4to 4.1.4 or later - Upgrade
helm.sh/helm/v3to 3.20.2 or later
- Upgrade