CVE-2025-3225: Llama index readers papers LlamaIndex Has An XML Entity Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w42r-mrx7-c633
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-776
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-3225 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) llamaindex has an xml entity vulnerability (CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')) affecting Llama index readers papers libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves llamaindex has an xml entity expansion vulnerability in its sitemap parser. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.3.2.

CVE-2025-3225 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-3225
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w42r-mrx7-c633
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')
Affected Product Llama index readers papers
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2025-3225

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Llama index readers papers dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

llama-index-readers-papers fixed: 0.3.2 
pip install llama-index-readers-papers>=0.3.2
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show llama-index-readers-papers

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2025-3225, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show llama-index-readers-papers

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Llama index readers papers in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.3.2), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show llama-index-readers-papers command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion'), where 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. In Llama index readers papers, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

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 the Papers Loaders package before version 0.3.2 (in llama-index v0.10.0 and above through v0.12.29). 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 0.3.2 (in llama-index 0.12.29).

CVE-2025-3225 Affected Llama index readers papers Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.3.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
llama-index-readers-papers
pypi/llama-index-readers-papers
PyPI
< 0.3.2
0.3.2

References

NVD — CVE-2025-3225 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-3225
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/run-llama/llama_index/commit/4f6ee062b19212106a2632af9c9521fc7f0a3584
Llama index readers papers Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/run-llama/llama_index
huntr.com/bounties/e33c0699-e... WEB
https://huntr.com/bounties/e33c0699-e9a2-49aa-837b-5363205637a2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-3225?
CVE-2025-3225 is a security vulnerability in Llama index readers papers involving LlamaIndex has an XML Entity Expansion vulnerability in its sitemap parser under CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion').
Which Llama index readers papers versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.3.2 across affected packages: llama-index-readers-papers.
What version fixes CVE-2025-3225?
Upgrading to 0.3.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is llama-index-readers-papers affected?
Yes, llama-index-readers-papers is affected in releases prior to 0.3.2. Upgrade your dependency to 0.3.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-3225?
CVE-2025-3225 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-3225?
CVE-2025-3225 is classified under CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion') (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.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2025-3225?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show llama-index-readers-papers'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-w42r-mrx7-c633",
  "modified" : "2025-07-07T23:59:01Z",
  "published" : "2025-07-07T12:30:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-3225" ],
  "summary" : "LlamaIndex has an XML Entity Expansion vulnerability in its sitemap parser",
  "details" : "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 the Papers Loaders package before version 0.3.2 (in llama-index v0.10.0 and above through v0.12.29). 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 0.3.2 (in llama-index 0.12.29).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "llama-index-readers-papers"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-3225"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/run-llama/llama_index/commit/4f6ee062b19212106a2632af9c9521fc7f0a3584"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/run-llama/llama_index"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.com/bounties/e33c0699-e9a2-49aa-837b-5363205637a2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-776" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-07-07T23:59:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-07-07T10:15:27Z"
  }
}