CVE-2025-54988: Apache Tika XXE Vulnerability via Crafted XFA File Inside a PDF

Should you act?

High exploit likelihood

EPSS ranks it in the top 5% of all CVEs for likely exploitation in the next 30 days. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
• EPSS 47.9%, percentile 99: FIRST’s model estimates a 47.9% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of all scored CVEs (very high). 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 org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module (Maven) >= 1.13, < 3.2.2, fixed in 3.2.2; org.apache.tika:tika-parsers (Maven) >= 1.13, < 2.0.0-ALPHA, fixed in 2.0.0-ALPHA. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

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.

From the GitHub advisory

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.

Weakness type: CWE-611.

Product: org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module (Maven) · Assigned by: apache · Published: 2025-08-20

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: none
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 47.95% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 99.

Timeline

• 2025-08-20 — CVE record published by apache
• 2025-08-20 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-p72g-pv48-7w9x published (critical)
• 2026-02-26 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vendor and project advisories, patches

1. lists.apache.org lists.apache.org

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-p72g-pv48-7w9x github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2025-54988 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2025-54988 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. lists.debian.org lists.debian.org
2. openwall.com openwall.com
3. openwall.com openwall.com
4. github.com github.com
5. github.com github.com
6. archive.apache.org archive.apache.org
7. issues.apache.org issues.apache.org
8. lists.apache.org lists.apache.org

Critical Maven advisories · Today’s Security Digest