---
title: "CVE-2025-23215: PMD Designer's release key passphrase (GPG) available on Maven Central in cleartext"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2025-23215/
description: "CVE-2025-23215 (net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-designer (Maven)): PMD is an extensible multilanguage static code analyzer. The passphrase for the PMD and PMD…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2025-01-31
date_modified: 2025-04-04
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2025-23215"
kev: false
cvss: 9.3
epss: 0.00329
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2025-23215: PMD Designer's release key passphrase (GPG) available on Maven Central in cleartext

**Signal:** Critical and remotely reachable. No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.3% , percentile 25: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 25% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-designer (Maven) >= 7.0.0, < 7.10.0, fixed in 7.10.0 ; net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-core (Maven) >= 6.21.0, < 7.10.0, fixed in 7.10.0 ; net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-ui (Maven) >= 6.14.0, <= 6.19.0, no fixed version listed . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

PMD is an extensible multilanguage static code analyzer. The passphrase for the PMD and PMD Designer release signing keys are included in jar published to Maven Central. The private key itself is not known to have been compromised itself, but given its passphrase is, it must also be considered potentially compromised. As a mitigation, both compromised keys have been revoked so that no future use of the keys are possible. Note, that the published artifacts in Maven Central under the group id net.sourceforge.pmd are not compromised and the signatures are valid.

## Affected packages

- Maven `net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-designer` >= 7.0.0, < 7.10.0 → fixed: 7.10.0
- Maven `net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-core` >= 6.21.0, < 7.10.0 → fixed: 7.10.0
- Maven `net.sourceforge.pmd:pmd-ui` >= 6.14.0, <= 6.19.0 → fixed: none listed

## Affected products (CVE record)

- pmd pmd: < 7.10.0

## Severity

- GitHub_M CVSS 4.0: 9.3 `CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/U:Clear`
- GitHub CVSS 4.0: 9.3 `CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/U:Clear`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none , automatable yes , technical impact total .
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.33% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 25.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-88m4-h43f-wx84](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-88m4-h43f-wx84)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2025-23215](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-23215)
- [NVD entry CVE-2025-23215](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-23215)
- [github.com](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/security/advisories/GHSA-88m4-h43f-wx84)
- [github.com](https://github.com/pmd/pmd-designer/commit/1548f5f27ba2981b890827fecbd0612fa70a0362)
- [github.com](https://github.com/pmd/pmd-designer/commit/e87a45312753ec46b3e5576c6f6ac1f7de2f5891)
- [github.com](https://github.com/jvm-repo-rebuild/reproducible-central/blob/master/content/net/sourceforge/pmd/pmd-designer/README.md)
- [github.com](https://github.com/jvm-repo-rebuild/reproducible-central/blob/master/content/net/sourceforge/pmd/pmd-designer/pmd-designer-7.0.0.diffoscope)
- [github.com](https://github.com/jvm-repo-rebuild/reproducible-central?tab=readme-ov-file#reproducible-builds-for-maven-central-repository)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2025-23215/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt