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CVE-2020-15185 Low

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

### 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.

Exploit probability 0.9%
Published May 24, 2021
Required by Not available
Last source change July 8, 2026

02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE

Affected packages

Unknown Unknown

27 explicit affected versions

Go helm.sh/helm
Go helm.sh/helm/v3
Bitnami helm

03 / CONNECTIONS

Connected vulnerabilities

04 / EVIDENCE

Source records

Open Source Vulnerabilities CVE-2020-15185

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.

View original source
Open Source Vulnerabilities GHSA-jm56-5h66-w453

### 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.

View original source
Open Source Vulnerabilities BIT-helm-2020-15185

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.

View original source

05 / REFERENCES

Further evidence