CVE-2026-35206 — v4
Fix: helm/helm@4e7994dCVE-2026-35206 is a Path Traversal vulnerability in helm.sh/helm/v4. A fix is available for helm.sh/helm/v4 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Helm Chart extraction output directory collapse via `Chart.yaml` name dot-segment
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-35206.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
helm.sh/helm/v4🐹helm.sh/helm/v3Real-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
Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. In Helm versions <=3.20.1 and <=4.1.3, a specially crafted Chart will cause helm pull --untar [chart URL | repo/chartname] to write the Chart's contents to the immediate output directory (as defaulted to the current working directory; or as given by the --destination and --untardir flags), rather than the expected output directory suffixed by the chart's name.
Impact
The bug enables writing the Chart's contents (unpackaged/untar'ed) to the output directory <output dir>/, instead of the expected <output dir>/<chart name>/, potentially overwriting the contents of the targeted directory.
Note: a chart name containing POSIX dot-dot, or dot-dot and slashes (as if to refer to parent directories) do not resolve beyond the output directory as designed.
Patches
This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.20.2 and v4.1.3
A Chart with an unexpected name (those specified to be "." or ".."), or a Chart name which results in a non-unique directory will be rejected.
Workarounds
Ensure the the name of the Chart does not comprise/contain POSIX pathname special directory references ie. dot-dot ("..") or dot ("."). In addition, ensuring that the pull --untar flag (or equivalent SDK option) refers to a unique/empty output directory prevents chart extraction from inadvertently overwriting existing files within the specified directory.
Credits
Oleh Konko @1seal
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | helm.sh/helm/v4 | all versions | 4.1.4go get helm.sh/helm/v4@v4.1.4 |
| 🐹Go | helm.sh/helm/v3 | all versions | 3.20.2go get helm.sh/helm/v3@v3.20.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for helm.sh/helm/v4, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update helm.sh/helm/v4 to 4.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-35206 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-35206 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-35206. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Helm CLI 4.1 | helm-cli-4.1.4 | RHSA-2026:26441 |
| multicluster engine for Kubernetes 2.8 | multicluster-engine/backplane-rhel9-operator:1782476869 | RHSA-2026:30650 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.13 | rhacm2/multicloud-integrations-rhel9:1782256081 | RHSA-2026:30651 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-35206 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-35206 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.