Description

Renovate versions from 31.51.0 before 40.33.0 contain a command injection vulnerability in the helmv3 manager where the repository parameter is appended to helm registry login commands without proper sanitization. Attackers with repository write access can craft malicious Chart.yaml files to execute arbitrary commands on the machine running Renovate.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "6.7",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T14:17:50.700Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T14:17:50.700Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Renovate versions from 31.51.0 before 40.33.0 suffer from a command injection vulnerability residing within the helmv3 manager component. The root cause stems from the insecure handling of the repository parameter, which is directly appended to underlying helm registry login commands without adequate input sanitization or parameterization.\nThe primary impact of this vulnerability is Remote Code Execution (RCE) on the host running the affected Renovate instance. Threat actors possessing repository write access can leverage this flaw by engineering malicious Chart.yaml files designed to break out of the intended command syntax and execute arbitrary system commands.\nAffected systems include environments utilizing vulnerable versions of Renovate to automate dependency updates for Helm charts. The risk implications are severe, as successful exploitation grants the attacker arbitrary code execution capabilities within the context of the running Renovate process, potentially compromising build pipelines, exposing secrets, or facilitating lateral movement.\nExploitation requirements dictate that the attacker must possess repository write access to craft and submit the malicious Chart.yaml payloads that will be processed during the automated dependency scanning and update workflows.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability exists within the helmv3 manager component of Renovate, specifically affecting versions ranging from 31.51.0 up to, but not including, 40.33.0. The vulnerable component fails to properly sanitize or validate the repository parameter before passing it to operating system shell execution contexts during helm registry login operations.\nThe root cause is a classic command injection flaw (CWE-78) where untrusted input derived from repository configurations or chart metadata is concatenated directly into command strings executed by the underlying host system. Because the input lacks proper escaping or the use of safe argument arrays, shell metacharacters embedded within the malicious payload are interpreted by the command interpreter.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: First, an attacker with repository write access crafts a malicious Chart.yaml file containing shell metacharacters and arbitrary commands within the targeted repository parameter fields. Second, the vulnerable Renovate instance picks up the configuration and invokes the helmv3 manager to process the dependency update. Third, the helmv3 manager constructs the helm registry login command by insecurely appending the unsanitized repository parameter string. Fourth, the operating system executes the resulting command string, causing the embedded malicious commands to run with the privileges of the Renovate process.\nAuthentication and privilege requirements include repository write access for the attacker to introduce the malicious Chart.yaml file into the target repository. Network exposure depends on the operational architecture of the Renovate deployment, but automated scanning routines typically interact with public or private container registries and Git hosting platforms. The payload behavior results in arbitrary command execution on the machine hosting the Renovate runner, leading to potential full system compromise, environment variable exfiltration, and unauthorized access to deployment credentials."
}