CVE-2025-54988

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.

An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs. Typical impact: local file disclosure, server-side request forgery, or denial of service.

CVE-2025-54988 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.2.2, 2.0.0-ALPHA); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2025-54988? CVE-2025-54988 is a critical-severity XML external entity injection (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module (maven), affecting versions >= 1.13, < 3.2.2. It is fixed in 3.2.2, 2.0.0-ALPHA. An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-54988? CVE-2025-54988 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2025-54988?
   • org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module (maven) (versions >= 1.13, < 3.2.2)
   • org.apache.tika:tika-parsers (maven) (versions >= 1.13, < 2.0.0-ALPHA)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-54988? Yes. CVE-2025-54988 is fixed in 3.2.2, 2.0.0-ALPHA. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-54988 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-54988 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-54988 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2025-54988?
   • Upgrade org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module to 3.2.2 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.tika:tika-parsers to 2.0.0-ALPHA or later