GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w
HIGHGHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-295 vulnerability in github.com/helm/helm. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Helm uses crypto package vulnerable to panic from malformed X.509 certificate
Real-World Exposure
github.com/helm/helm🐹helm.sh/helm/v3🐹golang.org/x/cryptoReal-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
The Helm core maintainers have identified a high severity security vulnerability in Go's crypto package affecting all versions prior to Helm 2.16.8 and Helm 3.1.0.
Thanks to @ravin9249 for identifying the vulnerability.
Impact
Go before 1.12.16 and 1.13.x before 1.13.7 (and the crypto/cryptobyte package before 0.0.0-20200124225646-8b5121be2f68 for Go) allows attacks on clients resulting in a panic via a malformed X.509 certificate. This may allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service.
Patches
A patch to compile Helm against Go 1.14.4 has been provided for Helm 2 and is available in Helm 2.16.8. Helm 3.1.0 and newer are compiled against Go 1.13.7+.
Workarounds
No workaround is available. Users are urged to upgrade.
References
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 [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/helm/helm | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.16.8 | 2.16.8 |
| 🐹Go | helm.sh/helm/v3 | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.1.0 | 3.1.0 |
| 🐹Go | golang.org/x/crypto | all versions | 0.0.0-20200124225646-8b5121be2f68 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/helm/helm. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/helm/helm to 2.16.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-cjjc-xp8v-855w across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.