Vulnerability Description
Critical XXE in Apache Tika (tika-parser-pdf-module) in Apache Tika 1.13 through and including 3.2.1 on all platforms allows an attacker to carry out XML External Entity injection via a crafted XFA file inside of a PDF. An attacker may be able to read sensitive data or trigger malicious requests to internal resources or third-party servers. Note that the tika-parser-pdf-module is used as a dependency in several Tika packages including at least: tika-parsers-standard-modules, tika-parsers-standard-package, tika-app, tika-grpc and tika-server-standard. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.2.2, which fixes this issue.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Apache | Tika | >= 1.13, < 3.2.2 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/8xn3rqy6kz5b3l1t83kcofkw0w4mmj1wIssue TrackingMailing ListVendor Advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/20/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/20/3
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00030.html
FAQ
What is CVE-2025-54988?
CVE-2025-54988 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 8.4 (HIGH). Critical XXE in Apache Tika (tika-parser-pdf-module) in Apache Tika 1.13 through and including 3.2.1 on all platforms allows an attacker to carry out XML External Entity injection via a crafted XFA fi...
How severe is CVE-2025-54988?
CVE-2025-54988 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 8.4/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2025-54988?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Apache Tika.