{"id":59434,"date":"2025-07-17T02:32:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T02:32:54","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-08-29T22:44:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T04:44:09","slug":"cve-2025-53547-code-execution-vulnerability-in-helm-kubernetes-package-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-53547-code-execution-vulnerability-in-helm-kubernetes-package-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-53547: Code Execution Vulnerability in Helm Kubernetes Package Manager<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a>. The severity of this vulnerability is emphasized due to the potential for unauthorized<\/a> system access and the widespread usage of Helm in managing Kubernetes applications.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-53547
\nSeverity: High (8.5)
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system compromise or data<\/a> leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Helm | Prior to v3.18.4<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a>. Prior to Helm v3.18.4, although Helm flagged the symlinked file, it did not stop the execution process, allowing the exploit to occur.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

The following is a conceptual shell command example that might symbolize how an attacker could manipulate the Chart.yaml file<\/a>:<\/p>\n

# Attacker crafts a malicious Chart.yaml file\necho \"dependencies: {script: 'rm -rf \/'}\" > Chart.yaml\n# Attacker links the Chart.lock file to a file that can be executed\nln -s ~\/.bashrc Chart.lock\n# Attacker initiates the update process\nhelm dependency update<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the ‘rm -rf \/’ command is a placeholder for any arbitrary code<\/a> 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<\/a> execution.
\nNote: This is a conceptual example and is not intended to be a working exploit. Always follow ethical guidelines when working with vulnerabilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[89],"product":[],"attack_vector":[80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-59434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-kubernetes","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t