RCE in Helm

CVE-2025-53547

Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. Prior to 3.18.4, a specially crafted Chart.yaml file along with a specially linked Chart.lock file can lead to local code execution when dependencies are updated. Fields in a Chart.yaml file, that are carried over to a Chart.lock file when dependencies are updated and this file is written, can be crafted in a way that can cause execution if that same content were in a file that is executed (e.g., a bash.rc file or shell script). If the Chart.lock file is symlinked to one of these files updating dependencies will write the lock file content to the symlinked file. This can lead to unwanted execution. Helm warns of the symlinked file but did not stop execution due to symlinking. This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.18.4.

Vulnerability class: RCE (Remote Code Execution)

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.005 (38.9th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 39th percentile — 38.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2025-53547: held from 0.004 to 0.005.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.001

Affected products

  • Helm — versions < 3.18.4

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-53547?
CVE-2025-53547 is a high-severity vulnerability in Helm, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 8.5/10. Published 2025-07-08.
How severe is CVE-2025-53547?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-53547 known to be exploited?
4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.