HIGH CVSS 8.4
Published: 2025-08-20

CVE-2025-54988

apache tika Security Advisory (CVE-2025-54988)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2025-54988 impacting apache tika. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 8.4 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
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 v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product apache / tika
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-611

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2025-54988 impacting apache tika.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2025-54988.yaml
id: cve-2025-54988

info:
  name: apache tika - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2025-54988 affecting apache tika.
    Evaluation: 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 ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2025-54988
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 8.4
    cve-id: CVE-2025-54988
    cwe-id: CWE-611
  tags: cve,cve-2025-54988,apache,tika,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "tika"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2025-54988.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2025-54988
# Target: apache tika | CVSS: 8.4 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2025-54988 (apache tika)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against apache tika scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2025-54988.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2025-54988
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install tika 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade tika 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update tika

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i tika 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i tika

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2025-54988 in apache tika?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update apache tika packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2025-54988?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2025-54988?

CVE-2025-54988 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 8.4 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
8.4
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2025-54988
Weakness CWE-611
Vendor apache
Product tika
Published 2025-08-20
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H