Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager 2 Security Advisory
Date: October 8th, 2020
Affected Versions: All previous Nexus OSS/PRO versions up to 2.14.18
Fixed in Version: Nexus OSS/PRO version 2.14.19
Summary:
A security vulnerability (CVE-2020-15012) has been discovered in Nexus Repository 2 requiring immediate action. The vulnerability allows for directory traversal, exposing arbitrary files to users. This advisory provides the pertinent information needed to properly address this vulnerability, along with the details on how to reach us if you have any further questions or concerns.
This vulnerability was identified by an external researcher and has been verified by our security team. We are not aware of any active exploits taking advantage of this issue. However, we strongly encourage all users of Nexus Repository Manager to immediately take the steps outlined in this advisory.
The identified vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to perform directory traversal to read sensitive data files. We are recommending all instances of Nexus Repository 2 upgrade to 2.14.19.
The latest version of Nexus Repository 2 can be downloaded from:
https://help.sonatype.com/en/download-nexus-2.html
For detailed information on upgrading, please see:
https://help.sonatype.com/en/upgrading.html
Credit:
Sonatype thanks CloudBees for responsibly reporting the identified issue and working with us as we addressed it.
Support:
If you run into any problems, or have any questions/concerns, please contact us. You can do this by filing a ticket at https://support.sonatype.com.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is the risk associated with this vulnerability?
A: Nexus can be compromised, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to view Nexus Repository Manager configuration files or otherwise protected content, though this only extends to files the user that runs the Nexus Repository Manager application has access to.
Q: What preconditions must be met in order to be vulnerable?
A: An attacker must have network access to the Nexus Repository Manager instance in order to view protected content such as configuration files. Therefore, internet accessible instances imply available access by very large audience versus the more limited audience associated with non-internet accessible instances.
Q: Are there implications associated with this advisory itself?
A: Disclosure unfortunately means bad actors may try to take advantage. While we have initially limited the information to the minimum details necessary for users to affect an appropriate fix, this merely slows down a would be attacker. As such, we are advising all organizations utilizing Nexus Repository Manager to immediately assess their individual impact and take appropriate action in response.
Q: Where can I obtain more information associated with the vulnerability?
A: At this time, and in the interest of best protecting our user community, we are limiting the information released to that absolutely required in order to assess impact and affect remediation. Please contact support for more information.
Q: Why is Sonatype making this information available?
A: This is part of a responsible disclosure process. Given Nexus Repository is an open source project with over 150,000 active server installations, notifying the user base will invariably lead to broad dissemination. We are taking a concerted and proactive approach in our outreach activities and an effort to achieve the most rapid remediation possible.