CVE-2023-49753
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedImproper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in spoonthemes Adifier System allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Adifier System: from n/a before 3.1.4.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in the Adifier System theme (versions before 3.1.4) allows unauthenticated attackers to perform PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) attacks. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of file path inputs, enabling attackers to traverse directories and include arbitrary PHP files from the server, potentially leading to remote code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Adifier System theme versionLocate the theme's version file or header. For WordPress themes, check wp-content/themes/adifier/style.css for the 'Version:' comment. For other implementations, look for version.php or version.json in the theme root directory.Affected if The installed version is lower than 3.1.4 (e.g., 3.1.3, 3.0.x, etc.)
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Locate file inclusion functions in theme codeSearch the theme directory for PHP functions that include or require files, such as: include(), require(), include_once(), require_once(), readfile(), file_get_contents() with variable input. Look for patterns where user-supplied parameters might be passed to these functions.Affected if The theme contains file inclusion functions that accept unsanitized input from request parameters (e.g., ?file=, ?template=, ?path=)
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Identify vulnerable file inclusion endpointsExamine the theme's PHP files for routes or endpoints that accept file path parameters. Check for files like functions.php, header.php, or custom template handlers that process file path inputs. Search for patterns like $_GET['file'] or $_REQUEST['path'].Affected if There exists a publicly accessible endpoint that uses user input to include files without proper validation (e.g., no basename(), realpath(), or allowlist checks)
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Verify directory traversal is not blockedInspect the file inclusion code for validation logic. Look for whether the code strips or blocks traversal sequences like '../', '..\', or uses functions like basename() to prevent directory traversal.Affected if The file inclusion code does not sanitize or block directory traversal sequences, allowing attackers to use '../' to access files outside the intended directory
You are affected if your Adifier System theme version is below 3.1.4 AND your environment exposes a file inclusion endpoint that uses unsanitized user input to load PHP files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpdate Adifier System to version 3.1.4 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../, ..\) in incoming requests.
3.1.4
- 1. Backup the current Adifier System installation and database
- 2. Download Adifier System version 3.1.4 from the official spoonthemes source
- 3. Replace the existing Adifier System files with the new version 3.1.4 files
- 4. Verify the installation and test that the path traversal vulnerability is resolved
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-49753 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-49753 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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