CVE-2022-36049: Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p2g7-xwvr-rrw3
CVSS 7.7
CWE-400 CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-36049 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.7) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves helm controller denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.23.0, 0.32.0.

CVE-2022-36049 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-36049
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p2g7-xwvr-rrw3
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.7
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.7

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-36049

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

github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller fixed: 0.23.0
Upgrade github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller to 0.23.0
github.com/fluxcd/flux2 fixed: 0.32.0
Upgrade github.com/fluxcd/flux2 to 0.32.0
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 github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2022-36049, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller:

inspect dependencies for github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.23.0), 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller, 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 controller is tightly integrated with the Helm SDK. [A vulnerability](https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-7hfp-qfw3-5jxh) found in the Helm SDK allows for specific data inputs to cause high memory consumption, which in some platforms could cause the controller to panic and stop processing reconciliations. ### Impact In a shared cluster multi-tenancy environment, a tenant could create a HelmRelease that makes the controller panic, denying all other tenants from their Helm releases being reconciled. ### Credits The initial crash bug was reported by [oss-fuzz](https://github.com/google/oss-fuzz). The Flux Security team produced the first exploit and worked together with the Helm Security team to ensure that both projects were patched timely. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: - Open an issue in any of the affected repositories. - Contact us at the CNCF Flux Channel. ### References - https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=48360 - https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=44996 - https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-7hfp-qfw3-5jxh

CVE-2022-36049 Affected Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.23.00.32.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller
Go
≥ 0.0.4
< 0.23.0
0.23.0
github.com/fluxcd/flux2
Go
≥ 0.0.17
< 0.32.0
0.32.0

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-36049?
CVE-2022-36049 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller involving Helm Controller denial of service under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Github.com/fluxcd/helm controller versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.23.0, 0.32.0 across affected packages: github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller, github.com/fluxcd/flux2.
What version fixes CVE-2022-36049?
Upgrading to 0.23.0, 0.32.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller affected?
Yes, github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller is affected in releases prior to 0.23.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.23.0 or later.
Is github.com/fluxcd/flux2 affected?
Yes, github.com/fluxcd/flux2 is affected in releases prior to 0.32.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.32.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-36049?
CVE-2022-36049 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.7 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-36049?
CVE-2022-36049 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2022-36049?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-p2g7-xwvr-rrw3",
  "modified" : "2022-09-16T18:49:48Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-16T18:49:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-36049" ],
  "summary" : "Helm Controller denial of service",
  "details" : "Helm controller is tightly integrated with the Helm SDK. [A vulnerability](https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-7hfp-qfw3-5jxh) found in the Helm SDK allows for specific data inputs to cause high memory consumption, which in some platforms could cause the controller to panic and stop processing reconciliations.\n\n### Impact\nIn a shared cluster multi-tenancy environment, a tenant could create a HelmRelease that makes the controller panic, denying all other tenants from their Helm releases being reconciled.\n\n### Credits\n\nThe initial crash bug was reported by [oss-fuzz](https://github.com/google/oss-fuzz). The Flux Security team produced the first exploit and worked together with the Helm Security team to ensure that both projects were patched timely.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n- Open an issue in any of the affected repositories.\n- Contact us at the CNCF Flux Channel.\n\n### References\n\n- https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=48360\n- https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=44996\n- https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-7hfp-qfw3-5jxh\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.0.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.23.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/fluxcd/flux2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.0.17"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.32.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fluxcd/flux2/security/advisories/GHSA-p2g7-xwvr-rrw3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/helm/helm/security/advisories/GHSA-7hfp-qfw3-5jxh"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36049"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=44996"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=48360"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fluxcd/flux2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400", "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-16T18:49:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-07T21:15:00Z"
  }
}