Apache Tika XXE Vulnerability via Crafted XFA File Inside a PDF
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.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module | >= 1.13, < 3.2.2 | 3.2.2 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.tika:tika-parsers | >= 1.13, < 2.0.0-ALPHA | 2.0.0-ALPHA |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54988
- https://github.com/apache/tika/pull/2291
- https://github.com/apache/tika/commit/2b52257304f4d3cde2b8463657380bdb936d9ef2
- https://archive.apache.org/dist/tika/3.2.2/CHANGES-3.2.2.txt
- https://github.com/apache/tika
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/TIKA-4459
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/8xn3rqy6kz5b3l1t83kcofkw0w4mmj1w
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/stn9oh7rfn9yv76n1srxr9w56oy04p72
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00030.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/20/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/20/3
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-611- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module, org.apache.tika:tika-parsers- Disclosed
- 20.08.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:20
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-p72g-pv48-7w9x - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.tika:tika-parser-pdf-module
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 2
- First → latest
- 08.2025 12.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 2
Disclosures per year
- 2025: 2
- 2026: 0
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