Overview
The CVE-2025-53547 vulnerability is a critical flaw found in Helm, a popular package manager for Charts in Kubernetes. This vulnerability can potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system, leading to system compromise or data leakage. This issue pertains to Kubernetes administrators, developers, and organizations that rely on the Helm package manager. The severity of this vulnerability is emphasized due to the potential for unauthorized system access and the widespread usage of Helm in managing Kubernetes applications.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-53547
Severity: High (8.5)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Helm | Prior to v3.18.4
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of the dependency updating process within Helm. An attacker can create a malicious Chart.yaml file, which when dependencies are updated, is carried over to a Chart.lock file. If this Chart.lock file is symlinked to a file that can be executed (such as a bash.rc file or shell script), the update process can lead to unintended code execution. Prior to Helm v3.18.4, although Helm flagged the symlinked file, it did not stop the execution process, allowing the exploit to occur.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual shell command example that might symbolize how an attacker could manipulate the Chart.yaml file:
# Attacker crafts a malicious Chart.yaml file
echo "dependencies: {script: 'rm -rf /'}" > Chart.yaml
# Attacker links the Chart.lock file to a file that can be executed
ln -s ~/.bashrc Chart.lock
# Attacker initiates the update process
helm dependency updateIn this example, the ‘rm -rf /’ command is a placeholder for any arbitrary code that the attacker might want to execute. This code gets written into the symlinked file (.bashrc in this case) when the dependencies are updated, thus leading to arbitrary code execution.
Note: This is a conceptual example and is not intended to be a working exploit. Always follow ethical guidelines when working with vulnerabilities.