CVE-2020-15184 is a low-severity (CVSS 2.7) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in helm.sh/helm/v3. A fix is available for helm.sh/helm/v3 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Aliases are never checked in helm
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
helm.sh/helm/v3🐹helm.sh/helmReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
During a security audit of Helm's code base, security researchers at Trail of Bits identified a bug in which the alias field on a Chart.yaml is not properly sanitized. This could lead to the injection of unwanted information into a chart.
Patches
This issue has been patched in Helm 3.3.2 and 2.16.11
Specific Go Packages Affected
helm.sh/helm/v3/pkg/chartutil
Workarounds
Manually review the dependencies field of any untrusted chart, verifying that the alias field is either not used, or (if used) does not contain newlines or path characters.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | helm.sh/helm/v3 | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.3.2 | 3.3.2go get helm.sh/helm/v3@v3.3.2 |
| 🐹Go | helm.sh/helm | all versions | 2.16.11go get helm.sh/helm@v2.16.11 |
Affected Products
helmhelmDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for helm.sh/helm/v3, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update helm.sh/helm/v3 to 3.3.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-15184 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-15184 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.