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CVE-2025-54988 is a critical XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in Apache Tika's tika-parser-pdf-module affecting versions 1.13 through 3.2.1 on all platforms. When the module processes a crafted PDF containing an XFA form, it permits attacker-controlled external entity resolution. The vulnerable module is incorporated by several Tika distributions and packages, including standard parser packages, the Tika application, gRPC service, and server distributions.
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2 valid exploits after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (1 hidden).
This repository is a proof-of-concept (PoC) project for demonstrating an XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability in Apache Tika version 3.2.1 (CVE-2025-54988). The project is a Java Spring Boot application that exposes HTTP endpoints for file upload and processing. The main endpoint of interest is /api/extract-text, which uses Apache Tika to extract text from uploaded files. If a specially crafted malicious PDF is uploaded to this endpoint, it will trigger the XXE vulnerability in Tika, potentially allowing attackers to read arbitrary files or perform other XXE-based attacks. The repository includes Docker support for easy deployment, as well as scripts for building and running the application. The codebase is small, with the main logic contained in TikaController.java. The /api/detect-type endpoint is also exposed but does not trigger the vulnerability. The repository is intended for security testing and demonstration purposes.
This repository provides a proof-of-concept (POC) exploit for CVE-2025-54988, targeting XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerabilities in PDF parsers that support XFA forms. The main script, 'xfa_xxe_poc_gen.py', is a Python tool that generates malicious PDF files containing XFA forms with embedded XXE payloads. It supports two modes: 'file' mode for local file read (e.g., extracting /etc/passwd from the target system), and 'oob' (out-of-band) mode, which leverages an attacker-hosted DTD to exfiltrate file contents to a remote server via HTTP/HTTPS. The script can also generate the necessary DTD file for OOB attacks. The README provides usage instructions and example commands. The repository is structured simply, with one Python exploit script and a README. The exploit is a POC and does not include a customizable payload delivery mechanism beyond the generated PDF and DTD files.
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Previously reported Apache Tika XML External Entity injection issue involving crafted XFA content in PDFs.
A critical XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in Apache Tika affecting versions 1.13 through 3.2.1, with a CVSS score of 9.8.
Unknown
An XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the tika-parser-pdf-module of Apache Tika, allowing attackers to embed malicious XFA instructions in PDFs, potentially leading to sensitive data exposure or malicious requests.
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