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Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-4956

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Path Traversal in Sonatype Nexus Repository 3 allows an unauthenticated attacker to read system files. Fixed in version 3.68.1.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Path traversal vulnerability in Sonatype Nexus Repository 3 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to access arbitrary files on the host system by manipulating path parameters, potentially exposing sensitive system files and configuration data.

MitigationUpgrade Nexus Repository 3 to version 3.68.1 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict network access to the Nexus interface and implement web application firewall rules to detect and block path traversal patterns.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Nexus Repository 3 is installed
    Check for running Nexus processes or installed directories. On Linux, look for 'nexus' processes via 'ps aux | grep nexus' or check common installation paths like /opt/nexus or /opt/sonatype-work. On Windows, check services named 'Nexus' or installation under C:\Program Files\Sonatype.
    Affected if No Nexus Repository 3 process or installation found means not affected by this CVE.
  2. Determine the installed Nexus version
    Log into the Nexus administration web interface and navigate to the 'System' > 'Information' page to view the version number. Alternatively, check the 'nexus-default.properties' or 'VERSION' file in the installation directory.
    Affected if Unable to determine version means further investigation is required.
  3. Compare installed version to fixed release
    Compare the identified version against 3.68.1. Any version below 3.68.1 (including 3.67.x, 3.66.x, 3.65.x and earlier) is vulnerable.
    Affected if Version is 3.68.0 or earlier indicates the instance is vulnerable to path traversal.
  4. Assess network exposure of the Nexus interface
    Determine if the Nexus web interface is accessible from untrusted networks. Check firewall rules, reverse proxy configurations, or cloud security groups allowing direct access to port 8081 (default HTTP) or 8443 (default HTTPS) from the internet or untrusted zones.
    Affected if Nexus interface is externally accessible without authentication means the path traversal can be exploited remotely.
  5. Review access logs for path traversal patterns
    Examine Nexus application logs (typically in /opt/sonatype-work/nexus3/log or similar) for suspicious requests containing '../' sequences, especially to system paths like '/etc/', '/opt/', or 'C:\Windows\'. Look for requests to files outside the repository storage directories.
    Affected if Log entries show successful unauthorized file access attempts via path traversal indicates potential exploitation.

A user is affected if their Nexus Repository 3 installation is version 3.68.0 or earlier AND the web interface is network-accessible to untrusted users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Nexus Repository 3 to version 3.68.1 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict network access to the Nexus interface and implement web application firewall rules to detect and block path traversal patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

Nexus Repository 3 version 3.68.1 or later

  1. Back up your current Nexus Repository 3 installation, configuration, and data directories
  2. Stop the Nexus Repository 3 service
  3. Download Nexus Repository 3 version 3.68.1 or later from the official Sonatype repository (https://help.sonatype.com/en/download.html)
  4. Install the upgrade following Sonatype's standard upgrade documentation for Nexus Repository 3
  5. Start the Nexus Repository 3 service
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the UI (Administration > System > Logging) or via the API endpoint /service/rest/v1/status
  7. Confirm the path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2024-4956) is no longer present
Caveat Review Sonatype's release notes for 3.68.1 for any migration or compatibility notes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-4956 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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