CVE-2025-55199

What it actually does

A specially crafted JSON Schema file triggers unbounded memory allocation in Helm, leading to exhaustion of all available memory and process termination via OOM killer.

Why it matters to the business

Helm-based package operations can be disrupted or halted, causing deployment pipelines to fail and delaying software releases until memory limits are adjusted or the tool is updated.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker supplies a malicious JSON Schema file as input to Helm commands; the schema parsing logic allocates memory without limits, exhausting system resources and terminating the Helm process.

How to fix it

Upgrade helm/helm to commit b78692c18f0fb38fe5ba4571a674de067a4c53a5 or later; rebuild and redeploy any affected binaries or containers using the patched source.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the installed Helm binary reports a commit after b78692c18f0fb38fe5ba4571a674de067a4c53a5; test with known-malformed schemas to verify memory usage remains bounded.

Typical attack path

1. Identify a Helm workflow that accepts user-supplied or untrusted JSON Schema files
2. Craft a JSON Schema designed to trigger excessive memory allocation
3. Supply the malicious schema to Helm via command line, chart values, or configuration
4. Observe Helm process memory growth until OOM termination occurs

How to detect it

Review system and container logs for Helm OOM kills or sudden high memory usage during schema parsing; correlate with recent Helm command executions involving JSON Schema files.

What your security team should do

• Immediately update all Helm installations to the fixed commit
• Restrict untrusted JSON Schema inputs in CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows
• Monitor container and host memory usage during Helm operations for anomalies
• Add Helm version checks to automated compliance and inventory scans