CVE-2025-66516

CVE-2025-66516 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apache Tika with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.4. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 80% places it in the 100th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-611.

Key facts

Description

Critical XXE in Apache Tika tika-core (1.13-3.2.1), tika-pdf-module (2.0.0-3.2.1) and tika-parsers (1.13-1.28.5) modules on all platforms allows an attacker to carry out XML External Entity injection via a crafted XFA file inside of a PDF. This CVE covers the same vulnerability as in CVE-2025-54988. However, this CVE expands the scope of affected packages in two ways. First, while the entrypoint for the vulnerability was the tika-parser-pdf-module as reported in CVE-2025-54988, the vulnerability and its fix were in tika-core. Users who upgraded the tika-parser-pdf-module but did not upgrade tika-core to >= 3.2.2 would still be vulnerable. Second, the original report failed to mention that in the 1.x Tika releases, the PDFParser was in the "org.apache.tika:tika-parsers" module.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-66516?
Critical XXE in Apache Tika tika-core (1.13-3.2.1), tika-pdf-module (2.0.0-3.2.1) and tika-parsers (1.13-1.28.5) modules on all platforms allows an attacker to carry out XML External Entity injection via a crafted XFA file inside of a PDF. This CVE covers the same vulnerability as in CVE-2025-54988. However, this CVE expands the scope of affected packages in two ways. First, while the entrypoint for the vulnerability was the tika-parser-pdf-module as reported in CVE-2025-54988, the vulnerability and its fix were in tika-core. Users who upgraded the tika-parser-pdf-module but did not upgrade tika-core to >= 3.2.2 would still be vulnerable. Second, the original report failed to mention that in the 1.x Tika releases, the PDFParser was in the "org.apache.tika:tika-parsers" module.
How severe is CVE-2025-66516?
CVE-2025-66516 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.4, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-66516 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 80% (100th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-66516?
CVE-2025-66516 affects Apache Tika. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-66516?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2025-66516 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2025-66516 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-201189.
When was CVE-2025-66516 published?
CVE-2025-66516 was published on 2025-12-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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