# CVE-2025-13488: Nexus Repository 3 - Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

> Authenticated attackers with upload privileges can execute arbitrary scripts in user contexts via stored XSS in Nexus Repository.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 4 Dec 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mqj2-wwmp-9qj3

## What is CVE-2025-13488?

CVE-2025-13488 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Sonatype Nexus Repository, published on 4 Dec 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Due to a regression introduced in version 3.83.0, a security header is no longer applied to certain user-uploaded content served from repositories. This may allow an authenticated attacker with repository upload privileges to exploit a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability with user context.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-13488?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-13488?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-13488 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-13488 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-13488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-13488 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-13488 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Sonatype Nexus Repository, published on 4 Dec 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-13488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Sonatype Nexus Repository. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-13488/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-13488/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-13488
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-13488
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-13488

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-13488/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.