CVE-2025-55199: Helm.sh/helm/v3 Helm Charts With Specific JSON Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9h84-qmv7-982p
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-55199 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) helm charts with specific json vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Helm.sh/helm/v3 libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves helm charts with specific json schema values can cause memory exhaustion. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.18.5.

CVE-2025-55199 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-55199
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9h84-qmv7-982p
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Affected Product Helm.sh/helm/v3
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2025-55199

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Helm.sh/helm/v3 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

helm.sh/helm/v3 fixed: 3.18.5 
Upgrade helm.sh/helm/v3 to 3.18.5
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for helm.sh/helm/v3

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-55199, inspect your project dependencies for Helm.sh/helm/v3:

inspect dependencies for helm.sh/helm/v3

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Helm.sh/helm/v3 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.18.5), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. In Helm.sh/helm/v3, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A Helm contributor discovered that it was possible to craft a JSON Schema file in a manner which could cause Helm to use all available memory and have an out of memory (OOM) termination. ### Impact A malicious chart can point `$ref` in _values.schema.json_ to a device (e.g. `/dev/*`) or other problem file which could cause Helm to use all available memory and have an out of memory (OOM) termination. ### Patches This issue has been resolved in Helm v3.18.5. ### Workarounds Make sure that all Helm charts that are being loaded into Helm doesn't have any reference of `$ref` pointing to `/dev/zero`. ### References Helm's security policy is spelled out in detail in our [SECURITY](https://github.com/helm/community/blob/master/SECURITY.md) document. ### Credits Disclosed by Jakub Ciolek at AlphaSense.

CVE-2025-55199 Affected Helm.sh/helm/v3 Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.18.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
helm.sh/helm/v3
golang/helm.sh/helm/v3
Go
< 3.18.5
3.18.5

References

Helm.sh/helm/v3 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/helm/helm
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-9h84-qmv7-982p
NVD — CVE-2025-55199 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-55199
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/helm/helm/commit/b78692c18f0fb38fe5ba4571a674de067a4c53a5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-55199?
CVE-2025-55199 is a security vulnerability in Helm.sh/helm/v3 involving Helm Charts with Specific JSON Schema Values Can Cause Memory Exhaustion under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Helm.sh/helm/v3 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.18.5 across affected packages: helm.sh/helm/v3.
What version fixes CVE-2025-55199?
Upgrading to 3.18.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is helm.sh/helm/v3 affected?
Yes, helm.sh/helm/v3 is affected in releases prior to 3.18.5. Upgrade your dependency to 3.18.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-55199?
CVE-2025-55199 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-55199?
CVE-2025-55199 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-55199?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for helm.sh/helm/v3'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9h84-qmv7-982p",
  "modified" : "2025-08-14T17:14:53Z",
  "published" : "2025-08-14T00:01:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-55199" ],
  "summary" : "Helm Charts with Specific JSON Schema Values Can Cause Memory Exhaustion",
  "details" : "A Helm contributor discovered that it was possible to craft a JSON Schema file in a manner which could cause Helm to use all available memory and have an out of memory (OOM) termination.\n\n### Impact\nA malicious chart can point `$ref` in _values.schema.json_ to a device (e.g. `/dev/*`) or other problem file which could cause Helm to use all available memory and have an out of memory (OOM) termination.\n\n### Patches\nThis issue has been resolved in Helm v3.18.5.\n\n### Workarounds\nMake sure that all Helm charts that are being loaded into Helm doesn't have any reference of `$ref` pointing to `/dev/zero`.\n\n### References\nHelm's security policy is spelled out in detail in our [SECURITY](https://github.com/helm/community/blob/master/SECURITY.md) document.\n\n### Credits\nDisclosed by Jakub Ciolek at AlphaSense.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "helm.sh/helm/v3"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.18.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-9h84-qmv7-982p"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-55199"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm/commit/b78692c18f0fb38fe5ba4571a674de067a4c53a5"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-08-14T00:01:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-08-14T00:15:27Z"
  }
}