CVE-2026-97712 in Nexus Repository
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2026
Sonatype Nexus Repository 3 allows a user that holds the role create or role update permission to grant roles and privileges that the account does not hold. This can give the user more access than intended, up to full administrative access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2026
The vulnerability identified in Sonatype Nexus Repository 3 represents a critical failure in Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) enforcement mechanisms. Specifically, it allows an authenticated user possessing either the create or update permission for roles to arbitrarily assign privileges and roles that exceed their own authorization level. This flaw effectively bypasses the principle of least privilege by enabling lateral movement within the application's security model. An attacker with limited administrative rights can escalate their permissions to gain full system control without requiring additional authentication factors or exploiting separate software bugs, as this escalation is facilitated through legitimate API endpoints and interface functions designed for role management.
From a technical perspective, the root cause lies in insufficient validation of the target privileges against the current user's existing permission set during the role update process. The application fails to verify whether the requesting account has the authority to grant specific high-level permissions such as admin or system-wide read-write access. This logic error permits the creation of new roles with elevated capabilities and assigns them to other users, including potentially the attacker themselves. Consequently, the integrity of the authorization matrix is compromised, allowing unauthorized privilege escalation that undermines the entire security architecture of the repository management platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it can lead to complete compromise of the Sonatype Nexus Repository 3 instance. An adversary with initial access could exploit this flaw to assume administrative privileges, thereby gaining unrestricted read and write access to all hosted repositories. This level of access enables the insertion of malicious artifacts into software supply chains, modification or deletion of legitimate dependencies, and potential exfiltration of sensitive data stored within the repository. Furthermore, if the Nexus instance is integrated with CI/CD pipelines or other automated build systems, the compromise could propagate downstream, affecting multiple applications and services that rely on these compromised dependencies for their operation.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-269, which describes Improper Privilege Assignment, where a user is granted more privileges than they should have based on their role. Additionally, it maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, specifically Valid Accounts and Default Accounts, as the attacker leverages legitimate credentials to perform unauthorized administrative actions. The behavior also reflects aspects of CWE-250, Execution with Unnecessary Privileges, although in this case, the privilege is actively escalated rather than merely retained during execution. Understanding these mappings helps security teams contextualize the risk within broader threat models and compliance frameworks that mandate strict separation of duties and robust access controls.
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations must immediately apply the latest patches provided by Sonatype for Nexus Repository 3 versions affected by this issue. It is crucial to verify the patch version against official advisories to ensure all related security fixes are included. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, administrators should implement network-level controls such as firewalls or web application firewalls to restrict access to role management endpoints only from trusted administrative IP addresses. Additionally, enforcing multi-factor authentication for all accounts with any level of administrative privilege adds a critical layer of defense against credential theft that often precedes exploitation of this flaw.
Long-term remediation strategies should focus on hardening the RBAC configuration by auditing existing roles and permissions to ensure they adhere strictly to the principle of least privilege. Administrators should regularly review user assignments and remove unnecessary create or update role permissions from accounts that do not require them for their daily operations. Implementing regular security audits and penetration testing can help identify similar logic flaws in custom configurations or integrations. Furthermore, enabling comprehensive audit logging allows for continuous monitoring of role changes and permission modifications, facilitating rapid detection and response to any suspicious activity indicative of privilege escalation attempts.