CVE-2026-35204: Helm.sh/helm/v4 Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vmx8-mqv2-9gmg
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CVSS 8.6
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35204 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.6) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Helm.sh/helm/v4 libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves helm has a path traversal in plugin metadata version enables arbitrary file write outside helm plugin directory. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.1.4.

CVE-2026-35204 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35204
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vmx8-mqv2-9gmg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.6
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Helm.sh/helm/v4
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.6

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-35204

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Helm.sh/helm/v4 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/v4 fixed: 4.1.4 
Upgrade helm.sh/helm/v4 to 4.1.4
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/v4

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-35204, inspect your project dependencies for Helm.sh/helm/v4:

inspect dependencies for helm.sh/helm/v4

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Helm.sh/helm/v4 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.1.4), 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Helm.sh/helm/v4, 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

Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. In Helm versions >=4.0.0 and <=4.1.3, a specially crafted Helm plugin, when installed or updated, will cause Helm to write the contents of the plugin to an arbitrary filesystem location. ### Impact A Helm user who installs or updates a plugin that is specially crafted can cause Helm to attempt to write the content of the affected plugin to an arbitrary location on the user's filesystem. Impacted users risk potentially overwriting user and system files which may further compromise the integrity of a system. ### Patches This issue has been patched in Helm v4.1.4 Installing/updating a plugin with a non-SemVer version (which excludes path traversal patterns) will result in an error. ### Workarounds Validate that the `plugin.yaml` of the Helm plugin does not include a `version:` field containing POSIX dot-dot path separators ie. "`/../`".

CVE-2026-35204 Affected Helm.sh/helm/v4 Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.1.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
helm.sh/helm/v4
golang/helm.sh/helm/v4
Go
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.1.4
4.1.4

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-vmx8-mqv2-9gmg
NVD — CVE-2026-35204 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35204
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/helm/helm/commit/36c8539e99bc42d7aef9b87d136254662d04f027
Helm.sh/helm/v4 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/helm/helm
Helm.sh/helm/v4 Release RELEASE
https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35204?
CVE-2026-35204 is a security vulnerability in Helm.sh/helm/v4 involving Helm has a path traversal in plugin metadata version enables arbitrary file write outside Helm plugin directory under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Helm.sh/helm/v4 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.1.4 across affected packages: helm.sh/helm/v4.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35204?
Upgrading to 4.1.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is helm.sh/helm/v4 affected?
Yes, helm.sh/helm/v4 is affected in releases prior to 4.1.4. Upgrade your dependency to 4.1.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35204?
CVE-2026-35204 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35204?
CVE-2026-35204 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2026-35204?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for helm.sh/helm/v4'. 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-vmx8-mqv2-9gmg",
  "modified" : "2026-04-24T20:41:57Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-10T15:32:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35204" ],
  "summary" : "Helm has a path traversal in plugin metadata version enables arbitrary file write outside Helm plugin directory",
  "details" : "Helm is a package manager for Charts for Kubernetes. In Helm versions >=4.0.0 and <=4.1.3, a specially crafted Helm plugin, when installed or updated, will cause Helm to write the contents of the plugin to an arbitrary filesystem location.\n\n### Impact\n\nA Helm user who installs or updates a plugin that is specially crafted can cause Helm to attempt to write the content of the affected plugin to an arbitrary location on the user's filesystem. Impacted users risk potentially overwriting user and system files which may further compromise the integrity of a system.\n\n### Patches\n\nThis issue has been patched in Helm v4.1.4\n\nInstalling/updating a plugin with a non-SemVer version (which excludes path traversal patterns) will result in an error.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nValidate that the `plugin.yaml` of the Helm plugin does not include a `version:` field containing POSIX dot-dot path separators ie. \"`/../`\".",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "helm.sh/helm/v4"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.4"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.1.3"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-vmx8-mqv2-9gmg"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35204"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm/commit/36c8539e99bc42d7aef9b87d136254662d04f027"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.4"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-10T15:32:56Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-09T16:16:27Z"
  }
}