CVE-2025-3225VulnerabilityPublished 7 Jul 2025

CVE-2025-3225: run-llama/llama_index · Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs

Affects run-llama/llama_indexSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 0.12.29 soon.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 40% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 0.12.29

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Jul 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade run-llama/llama_index to 0.12.29.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubrun-llama/llama_index`pkg:github/run-llama/llama_index`Other threats	Affected >=0.12.21 <0.12.29	Fixed in 0.12.29

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

European organizations should promptly upgrade the run-llama/llama_index library to version v0.12.29 or later, where the vulnerability is patched. In addition to upgrading, organizations should implement strict input validation and XML parsing controls to mitigate similar XML Entity Expansion attacks. This includes configuring XML parsers to disable DTD processing or recursive entity expansion where possible. Employing XML parsing libraries that support secure processing features (e.g., secure XML parsers with entity expansion limits) is recommended. Network-level protections such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block suspicious XML payloads exhibiting entity expansion patterns. Monitoring application logs for abnormal memory usage or parsing errors related to XML inputs can provide early detection of attempted exploitation. For critical systems, consider sandboxing XML processing components to limit the impact of potential DoS attacks. Finally, maintain an inventory of software dependencies to ensure timely patching and vulnerability management.

Description

An XML Entity Expansion vulnerability, also known as a 'billion laughs' attack, exists in the sitemap parser of the run-llama/llama_index repository, specifically affecting version v0.12.21. This vulnerability allows an attacker to supply a malicious Sitemap XML, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) by exhausting system memory and potentially causing a system crash. The issue is resolved in version v0.12.29.

Impact

For European organizations utilizing the run-llama/llama_index library, particularly versions prior to v0.12.29, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to service availability. Organizations that rely on this library for sitemap parsing or related XML processing in web applications, content management systems, or data indexing services may experience service outages or degraded performance if targeted by this attack. The DoS can disrupt business operations, degrade user experience, and potentially cause cascading failures in dependent systems. Given the remote and unauthenticated nature of the exploit, attackers can launch attacks without prior access or user involvement, increasing the threat surface. This is especially critical for organizations providing public-facing services or APIs that accept XML sitemap inputs. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact reduces risks related to data breaches but availability disruptions can lead to reputational damage, financial losses, and regulatory scrutiny under European data protection and operational resilience frameworks. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently lowers immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future exploitation.

CWE-776Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product uses XML documents and allows their structure to be defined with a Document Type Definition (DTD), but it does not properly control the number of recursive definitions of entities.
Operation
If possible, prohibit the use of DTDs or use an XML parser that limits the expansion of recursive DTD entities.
Implementation
Before parsing XML files with associated DTDs, scan for recursive entity declarations and do not continue parsing potentially explosive content.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
File Upload (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.1.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Exponential Data Expansion (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Jul 2025, 10:25 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-776

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats