VulnerabilityPublished 11 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-54992: telstra open-kilda · XML External Entity (XXE)

Affects telstra open-kildaSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.9 Medium : upgrade to 1.164.0 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

6.9Medium

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

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 36% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.164.0

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, 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: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Aug 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 telstra open-kilda to 1.164.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
telstra open-kilda	Affected <1.164.0	Fixed in 1.164.0

AI-suggested

European organizations should promptly upgrade OpenKilda installations to version 1.164.0 or later, where the XXE vulnerability is patched. Until upgrades can be applied, organizations should implement network-level controls to restrict access to the OpenKilda UI interface, ensuring it is not exposed to untrusted or public networks. Deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block XML external entity payloads can provide temporary protection. Additionally, organizations should audit their OpenKilda configurations to ensure minimal exposure and review logs for suspicious XML parsing errors or unusual access patterns. Employing network segmentation to isolate SDN controllers from general user networks reduces attack surface. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on SDN components can help detect similar issues proactively. Finally, monitoring for updates on GHSL-2025-024 and related vulnerabilities is recommended to maintain comprehensive protection.

Description

OpenKilda is an open-source OpenFlow controller. Prior to version 1.164.0, an XML external entity (XXE) injection vulnerability was found in OpenKilda which in combination with GHSL-2025-024 allows unauthenticated attackers to exfiltrate information from the instance where the OpenKilda UI is running. This issue may lead to Information disclosure. This issue has been patched in version 1.164.0.

Impact

For European organizations deploying OpenKilda as part of their network infrastructure, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized information disclosure. Since OpenKilda is used to control OpenFlow-enabled network devices, exposure of configuration data or credentials could compromise network integrity and confidentiality. Attackers could leverage this information to map network topologies, identify critical assets, or launch subsequent attacks such as lateral movement or denial of service. The fact that the vulnerability is exploitable without authentication and user interaction increases the risk, especially for organizations exposing the OpenKilda UI to untrusted networks. This could impact telecommunications providers, data centers, cloud service providers, and enterprises relying on SDN for network management. The potential impact includes loss of sensitive operational data, regulatory compliance violations (e.g., GDPR if personal data is exposed), and reputational damage. However, the vulnerability does not directly allow code execution or availability disruption, limiting the immediate operational impact to information disclosure.

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

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 19 Aug 2025, 01:44 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats