CVE-2022-23526: Helm contains Denial of service through schema file

Published Dec 14, 2022
·
Updated

A flaw was found in Helm, a tool for managing Charts, a pre-configured Kubernetes resources. Versions prior to 3.10.3 are subject to NULL Pointer Dereference in thechartutil package that could cause a segmentation violation. The chartutil package contains a parser that loads a JSON Schema validation files into structures Go can work with. Some schema files can cause array data structures to be created, causing a memory violation. Applications that use the chartutil package in the Helm SDK to parse a schema files may result in a denial of service.

Other sources

Fuzz testing, by Ada Logics and sponsored by the CNCF, identified input to functions in the chartutil package that can cause a segmentation violation. Applications that use functions from the chartutil package in the Helm SDK can have a Denial of Service attack when they use this package and it panics.

Impact

The chartutil package contains a parser that loads a JSON Schema validation file. For example, the Helm client when rendering a chart will validate its values with the schema file. The chartutil package parses the schema file and loads it into structures Go can work with. Some schema files can cause array data structures to be created causing a memory violation.

Applications that use the chartutil package in the Helm SDK to parse a schema file can suffer a Denial of Service when that input causes a panic that cannot be recovered from.

The Helm Client will panic with a schema file that causes a memory violation panic. Helm is not a long running service so the panic will not affect future uses of the Helm client.

Patches

This issue has been resolved in 3.10.3.

Workarounds

SDK users can validate schema files that are correctly formatted before passing them to the chartutil functions.

For more information

Helm's security policy is spelled out in detail in our SECURITY document.

Credits

Disclosed by Ada Logics in a fuzzing audit sponsored by CNCF.

Helm is a tool for managing Charts, pre-configured Kubernetes resources. Versions prior to 3.10.3 are subject to NULL Pointer Dereference in thechartutil package that can cause a segmentation violation. The chartutil package contains a parser that loads a JSON Schema validation file. For example, the Helm client when rendering a chart will validate its values with the schema file. The chartutil package parses the schema file and loads it into structures Go can work with. Some schema files can cause array data structures to be created causing a memory violation. Applications that use the chartutil package in the Helm SDK to parse a schema file can suffer a Denial of Service when that input causes a panic that cannot be recovered from. Helm is not a long running service so the panic will not affect future uses of the Helm client. This issue has been patched in 3.10.3. SDK users can validate schema files that are correctly formatted before passing them to the chartutil functions.

Affected Software

3 affected componentsFixes available
go/helm.sh/helm/v3<3.10.3
3.10.3
redhat/helm.sh/helm/v3<3.10.3
3.10.3
Helm helm>=3.0.0<3.10.3

Event History

Dec 14, 2022
Advisory Published
09:39 PM
Dec 15, 2022
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Data Sourced
12:00 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:43 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:43 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Dec 16, 2022
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·09:27 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2022-23526?

CVE-2022-23526 is a vulnerability found in Helm, a tool for managing Charts, where input to functions in the `_chartutil_` package can cause a segmentation violation, leading to a Denial of Service attack.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2022-23526?

The severity of CVE-2022-23526 is high, with a CVSS score of 7.5.

3

Which software versions are affected by CVE-2022-23526?

Versions up to and excluding 3.10.3 of the Helm SDK and Helm package for Go and Red Hat are affected by CVE-2022-23526.

4

How can the CVE-2022-23526 vulnerability be fixed?

To fix the CVE-2022-23526 vulnerability, update Helm to version 3.10.3 or later.

5

What is the CWE for CVE-2022-23526?

The CWE for CVE-2022-23526 is CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference).

Contact

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