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NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

CVE-2025-54988: Apache Tika PDF parser module: XXE vulnerability in PDFParser's handling of XFA

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Plan (action score 47/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit, Nuclei); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Public proof-of-concept code exists (GitHub); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 47.9% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.8% of all records.
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Tika PDF parser module 3.2.2.

Add it to your regular patch cycle. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation Apache Tika PDF parser module 3.2.2 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

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.

HighCVSS 8.4 · v3.1—Weaponized Fix available
Published
Aug 20, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
47.9% · 98th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

47

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
33 / 40 · 8.4 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
14 / 30 · 47.9%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
proof of concept
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · apache
8.4
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
apachetika

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • apache tika1.13 and later · before 3.2.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache Tika PDF parser module

    • 1.13 and later · up to and including 3.2.1affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:11tikabefore 1.22-2+deb11u11.22-2+deb11u1
Mavenorg.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-modulefrom 1.13 · before 3.2.23.2.2
Mavenorg.apache.tika:tika-parsersfrom 1.13 · before 2.0.0-ALPHA2.0.0-ALPHA

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2025-66516Apache Tika core, Apache Tika parsers, Apache Tika PDF parser module: Update to CVE-2025-54988 to expand scope of artifacts affected
    66This week
  • CVE-2018-1335From Apache Tika versions 1.7 to 1.17, clients could send carefully crafted headers to tika-server that could be used to inject commands int
    60This week
  • CVE-2019-10088A carefully crafted or corrupt zip file can cause an OOM in Apache Tika's RecursiveParserWrapper in versions 1.7-1.21.
    36Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-30973May 31, 2022 · Missing fix for CVE-2022-30126 in 1.28.2
    23Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-33879Jun 27, 2022 · Incomplete fix and new regex DoS in StandardsExtractingContentHandler
    14Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-66755Jul 30, 2026 · Apache Tika: Arbitrary Local File Read in ISArchiveParser
    23Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Apache Software Foundation Apache Tika PDF parser module3.2.2 · descriptionVendor (CNA)
debian:tika1.22-2+deb11u1 · Debian:11Package registry (OSV)
Maven:org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module3.2.2Package registry (OSV)
Maven:org.apache.tika:tika-parsers2.0.0-ALPHAPackage registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Nuclei detection template ×1
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×2

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleauxiliary/scanner/http/elasticsearch_tika_xfa_xxeElasticsearch ingest-attachment Apache Tika XFA XXE Local File Readauxiliary2025-08-20
Nuclei detection templateNuclei template CVE-2025-54988 —
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:202025-09-04
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02025-12-17

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Metasploit-1 d
  2. Published
  3. First PoC+14 d
  4. TodayNov 9, 2026+446 d
EPSS, last 120 days-1% in 7 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2025-66516106 days apartApache Tika core, Apache Tika parsers, Apache Tika PDF parser module: Update to CVE-2025-54988 to expand scope of artifacts affected
    66This week

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-611 · Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records