CVE-2020-15185 | Duplicated chart entries in Helm

In Helm before versions 2.16.11 and 3.3.2, a Helm repository can contain duplicates of the same chart, with the last one always used. If a repository is compromised, this lowers the level of access that an attacker needs to inject a bad chart into a repository. To perform this attack, an attacker must have write access to the index file (which can occur during a MITM attack on a non-SSL connection). This issue has been patched in Helm 3.3.2 and 2.16.11. A possible workaround is to manually review the index file in the Helm repository cache before installing software.

Published: 2020-09-17 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2020-15185 is rated Low Risk (28.5/100): CVSS Low severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.88%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-15185

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.23% 0.88% +0.65%
2 2025-10-31 0.35% 0.23% -0.11%
3 2025-03-30 — 0.35% —

Full EPSS history (11 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-15185

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
2.2 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 0.7 1.4 [email protected]
2.7 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 1.2 1.4 [email protected]
4.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
 8.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-15185

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2020-15185

GHSA-jm56-5h66-w453 · Severity: low · Ecosystem: go — Repository index file allows for duplicates of the same chart entry in helm

OS Trackers for CVE-2020-15185

vendor priority summary link
redhat low — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2020-15185
suse low CVE-2020-15185 severity low: SUSE including 28 source package names (1.17.17:kubernetes-client-1.17.13-4.21.2, 1.17.17:kubernetes-common-1.17.13-4.21.2, …), 33 product×package rows across 12 product lines (Container caasp/v4/coredns, Container caasp/v4/etcd, … (12 product lines)): Fixed 31, Known Not Affected 2. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2020-15185/

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-15185

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
helm helm >= 2.0.0, < 2.16.11 cpe:2.3:a:helm:helm:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
helm helm >= 3.0.0, < 3.3.2 cpe:2.3:a:helm:helm:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-15185

cvelogic Threat Intelligence