High Injection

CVE-2026-17603 — Nexus Repository 3 - HikariCP connectionInitSql Injection RCE via DataStore Configuration API

Nexus Repository 3 did not sufficiently restrict which HikariCP connection-pool properties could be set through the DataStore configuration API. A user holding the nx-datastores-update permission could set the connectionInitSql property to execute arbitrary SQL against the configured database on every new connection. On the default H2 database backend, this could be leveraged to achieve remote code execution as the Nexus process user.

Published Aug 7, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Sonatype

Low

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.

How the score was calculated

Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation

Not confirmed

Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.

EPSS FIRST

—

No EPSS score.

Affects

Sonatype

Nexus Repository 3 and 1 more

CVSS base

8.8

High · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation

None

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Sonatype Nexus Repository 3, Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager).
No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Sonatype	Nexus Repository 3	≥ 3.20.0 and < 3.95.0	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Sonatype	Nexus Repository Manager	≥ 3.20.0 and < 3.95.0	Vulnerable	NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector

Network

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
8.7	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	103e4ec9-0a87-450b-af77-479448ddef11 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.7	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	Sonatype via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
8.8	CVSS 3.1	High	2.8	5.9	nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-94 · Code Injection

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.

web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSapplication logsendpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · sonatype/nexus repository 3
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 15, 2026
CVSS changed · 8.8
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Analyzed
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Aug 7, 2026 · Sonatype

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

2 on the record

support.sonatype.com/hc/en-us/articles/53890127489427/
Vendor Advisory, vendor-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
help.sonatype.com/en/sonatype-nexus-repository-3-95-0-release-notes.html
Release Notes, patch, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Sonatype
every CVE for this vendor

Injection
same class

CWE-94
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

High CVE-2026-97712 Nexus Repository 3 - Privilege Escalation via Role Management 10h
High CVE-2026-97665 Nexus Repository 3 - Missing Authorization on NuGet Symbol Package Upload 10h
Medium CVE-2026-97666 Nexus Repository 3 - Unsafe Reflection in ExtDirect Repository Endpoint 10h
Medium CVE-2026-97667 Nexus Repository 3 - Stored Cross-Site Scripting in Browse UI 10h
High CVE-2026-77125 Nexus Repository 3 - Incorrect Authorization on Blobstore Group Endpoints Sep 2, 2026
High CVE-2026-77124 Nexus Repository 3 - Script Execution Disable Setting Not Enforced Sep 2, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No FIRST EPSS score.
No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-17603 is "Nexus Repository 3 - HikariCP connectionInitSql Injection RCE via DataStore Configuration API", rated High. It affects Nexus Repository 3 (Sonatype); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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