GHSA-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7
HIGHGHSA-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) CWE-636 vulnerability in helm.sh/helm/v4. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Helm's plugin verification fails open when .prov is missing, allowing unsigned plugin install
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.
Blast Radius
helm.sh/helm/v4Real-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 >=4.0.0 and <=4.1.3, Helm will install plugins missing provenance (.prov file) when signature verification is required.
Impact
The bug allows plugin authors to omit provenance (signing) data from plugins, bypassing plugin signature verification upon plugin install/update.
Notably, plugin hooks will be executed as designed on the installed plugin, enabling a malicious plugin to execute arbitrary code.
Patches
This issue has been patched in Helm v4.1.4
Installing/updating a plugin with missing provenance will error if signature verification is required.
Workarounds
Users may manually validate that a plugin archive is not missing provenance data (.prov file) before installation.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | helm.sh/helm/v4 | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.1.4 | 4.1.4 |
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. 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 helm.sh/helm/v4 to 4.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7 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-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7 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-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7. 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-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-q5jf-9vfq-h4h7 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.