CVE-2020-4053: Path Traversal in Helm Plugin Archive

Published Jun 16, 2020
·
Updated

In Helm greater than or equal to 3.0.0 and less than 3.2.4, a path traversal attack is possible when installing Helm plugins from a tar archive over HTTP. It is possible for a malicious plugin author to inject a relative path into a plugin archive, and copy a file outside of the intended directory. This has been fixed in 3.2.4.

Other sources

The Helm core maintainers have identified an information disclosure vulnerability in Helm 3.0.0-3.2.3.

Impact

A traversal attack is possible when installing Helm plugins from a tar archive over HTTP. It is possible for a malicious plugin author to inject a relative path into a plugin archive, and copy a file outside of the intended directory.

Traversal Attacks are a form of a Directory Traversal that can be exploited by extracting files from an archive. The premise of the Directory Traversal vulnerability is that an attacker can gain access to parts of the file system outside of the target folder in which they should reside. The attacker can then overwrite executable files and either invoke them remotely or wait for the system or user to call them, thus achieving Remote Command Execution on the victim's machine. The vulnerability can also cause damage by overwriting configuration files or other sensitive resources, and can be exploited on both client (user) machines and servers.

https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability

Specific Go Packages Affected helm.sh/helm/v3/pkg/plugin/installer

Patches

This issue has been fixed in Helm 3.2.4

For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: Open an issue in the Helm repository For security-specific issues, email us at cncf-helm-security@lists.cncf.io

Affected Software

2 affected componentsFixes available
go/helm.sh/helm/v3>=3.0.0<3.2.4
3.2.4
Helm helm>=3.0.0<3.2.4

Event History

Jun 16, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:00 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Jun 23, 2021
Advisory Published
via GitHub·06:14 PM
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-4053?

CVE-2020-4053 is an information disclosure vulnerability in Helm 3.0.0-3.2.3 that allows for a traversal attack when installing Helm plugins from a tar archive over HTTP.

2

How does CVE-2020-4053 impact Helm?

CVE-2020-4053 allows a malicious plugin author to inject a relative path into a plugin archive, potentially leading to a path traversal attack.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2020-4053?

CVE-2020-4053 has a severity level of high, with a CVSS score of 6.8.

4

Which versions of Helm are affected by CVE-2020-4053?

Helm versions greater than or equal to 3.0.0 and less than 3.2.4 are affected by CVE-2020-4053.

5

How can I fix CVE-2020-4053?

To fix CVE-2020-4053, update Helm to version 3.2.4 or later.

Contact

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