CVE-2025-55149 is a path traversal vulnerability classified under CWE-22 affecting the tiny-scientist framework developed by ulab-uiuc, specifically versions 0.1.1 and below. Tiny-Scientist is a lightweight framework designed to automate the scientific research lifecycle, including ideation, implementation, writing, and review. The vulnerability resides in the review_paper function within the backend/app.py file. It allows an unauthenticated attacker to craft malicious file paths that bypass the intended directory restrictions, enabling arbitrary access to PDF files on the server. This means an attacker can read any PDF file accessible by the server process, potentially exposing sensitive documents outside the designated directory. The vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction, and the attacker can perform reconnaissance on the server's file system structure, which may facilitate further attacks. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 6.7 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, with high impact on integrity and low impact on confidentiality and availability. Currently, there is no available patch or fix for this vulnerability, increasing the risk for affected deployments until mitigations or updates are applied.

For European organizations using tiny-scientist version 0.1.1 or earlier, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive research documents and intellectual property. Scientific research institutions, universities, and R&D departments that rely on this framework for managing research workflows could have sensitive PDF documents exposed to unauthorized parties. This exposure could lead to intellectual property theft, leakage of unpublished research data, or exposure of confidential peer reviews. Additionally, the ability to perform file system reconnaissance could enable attackers to identify other vulnerabilities or sensitive files on the server, potentially leading to further compromise. Given the lack of a patch, organizations face an elevated risk window. The impact is particularly critical in sectors where research confidentiality is paramount, such as pharmaceuticals, advanced engineering, and academic research centers prevalent across Europe.

Since no official patch is currently available, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include: 1) Restricting network access to the tiny-scientist backend service to trusted internal networks only, using firewalls and VPNs to limit exposure. 2) Employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious path traversal patterns in HTTP requests targeting the review_paper function. 3) Running the tiny-scientist service with the least privilege principle, ensuring the server process has access only to necessary directories and files, minimizing the scope of accessible PDFs. 4) Implementing strict input validation and sanitization at the application or proxy level to reject any file path inputs containing traversal sequences (e.g., ../). 5) Monitoring and logging all access to PDF files and unusual file access patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. 6) Planning for an upgrade or patch deployment once a fix is released by the vendor. Additionally, organizations should conduct security audits of their deployment environments to identify and remediate any other potential misconfigurations that could exacerbate the vulnerability.