CVE-2024-26147: Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. Versions prior to 3.14.2 contain an uninitialized variable vulnerability when Helm parses index a...

Description

Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. Versions prior to 3.14.2 contain an uninitialized variable vulnerability when Helm parses index and plugin yaml files missing expected content. 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. This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.14.2. 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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.93%

55.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Helm	Helm	< 3.14.2

References

Timeline

Published: Feb 21, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-26147?

Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. Versions prior to 3.14.2 contain an uninitialized variable vulnerability when Helm parses index and plugin yaml files missing expected content. 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. This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.14.2. 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.

How severe is CVE-2024-26147?

CVE-2024-26147 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.93% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-26147?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.