CVE-2018-16621 is a Java Expression Language (EL) injection vulnerability affecting Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager before version 3.14. The issue allows attacker-controlled input to be interpreted as Java EL expressions by the application. When untrusted data is evaluated by the EL engine, an attacker may be able to influence application behavior and, depending on the reachable expression context and exposed objects/methods, execute unintended operations on the server.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository contains a Python exploit script (nexus_poc.py) and a README.md. The exploit targets CVE-2018-16621, a Spring Expression Language (EL) injection vulnerability in Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager 3. The script is interactive, prompting the user for the target's IP and port, as well as the attacker's callback IP and port. It then starts a netcat listener in a separate thread to await a reverse shell. The script logs into the Nexus instance using hardcoded base64-encoded credentials, retrieves a session cookie, and crafts a malicious payload using a BCEL-encoded Java class. This payload is injected via a POST request to the /service/extdirect endpoint, exploiting the EL injection to execute a reverse shell command on the target. If successful, the attacker receives a shell on their machine. The repository is operational and provides a working exploit for the specified vulnerability.
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2 sources tracked across advisories and community write-ups. News coverage will land here when it surfaces.
No news coverage yet. Advisories and community discussion only.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
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YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.