VulnerabilityPublished 10 Jun 2025

CVE-2025-44044: Keyoti SearchUnit · XML External Entity (XXE)

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 9.0.0 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 11:07 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 33% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 9.0.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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

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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Jun 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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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 keyoti.searchunit to 9.0.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
NuGetkeyoti.searchunit`pkg:nuget/keyoti.searchunit`Other threats	Affected <9.0.0	Fixed in 9.0.0

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

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-44044 effectively, European organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately identify all instances of Keyoti SearchUnit deployed within the environment and verify their versions. 2) Upgrade all vulnerable SearchUnit installations to version 9.0.0 or later once available, as this version addresses the XXE vulnerability. 3) If an upgrade is not immediately possible, disable XML external entity processing in the XML parser configuration used by SearchUnit. This may involve setting parser features such as 'disallow-doctype-decl' or disabling external entity resolution depending on the XML library in use. 4) Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to SearchUnit hosts, limiting exposure to trusted internal networks only. 5) Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual XML parsing activity or outbound connections that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on XML input handling. 7) Educate development and operations teams about secure XML processing practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom integrations. These targeted measures go beyond generic patching advice by emphasizing configuration hardening, access control, and proactive detection tailored to the nature of the XXE vulnerability in SearchUnit.

Description

Keyoti SearchUnit prior to 9.0.0.is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE). An attacker who can force a vulnerable SearchUnit host into parsing maliciously crafted XML and/or DTD files can exfiltrate some files from the underlying operating system.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-44044 can be substantial, especially for those relying on Keyoti SearchUnit for document indexing, search, or content management. The ability to exfiltrate files from the underlying operating system can lead to exposure of sensitive corporate data, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information (PII), potentially violating GDPR and other data protection regulations. Confidentiality breaches could result in regulatory fines, reputational damage, and loss of customer trust. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, operational disruption is unlikely; however, the stealthy nature of data exfiltration can delay detection and response. Organizations in sectors with stringent data security requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government, are particularly at risk. Additionally, attackers could leverage the vulnerability as a foothold for further lateral movement or reconnaissance within the network. The lack of authentication or user interaction requirements increases the attack surface, making remote exploitation feasible if the vulnerable service is exposed or accessible internally. Overall, European entities must treat this vulnerability seriously to safeguard sensitive information and comply with legal obligations.

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
Implementation · System Configuration
Many XML parsers and validators can be configured to disable external entity expansion.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
XML External Entity Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Data Serialization External Entities Blowup (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Jul 2025, 21:33 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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