dbcve.org
PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2025-11977

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click 6 weeks old

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 · unedited
The Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.26.12 via the happyforms_get_form_partial() function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.

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 confidence

The Happyforms WordPress plugin versions up to 1.26.12 contain a Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the happyforms_get_form_partial() function. Authenticated administrators can include and execute arbitrary .php files from the server, allowing complete code execution and potentially bypassing access controls.

MitigationUpdate the Happyforms plugin to version 1.26.13 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict administrator-level access and monitor for suspicious file inclusion requests.

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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Happyforms plugin is installed
    Log into WordPress admin and go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a happyforms folder
    Affected if The Happyforms plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed version against affected range
    In WordPress admin, view plugin details to see the version number, or open the main plugin file (typically happyforms.php) and look for the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block
    Affected if The installed version is 1.26.12 or lower (any version up to and including 1.26.12)
  3. Verify administrator accounts exist
    Check Users > All Users in WordPress admin to confirm at least one user with Administrator role exists, as the vulnerability requires admin-level authentication
    Affected if There is at least one user with Administrator privileges on the site
  4. Confirm the vulnerable function is accessible
    The happyforms_get_form_partial() function is accessible to authenticated administrators through the WordPress AJAX API (wp_ajax_happyforms_get_form_partial action). Check if AJAX actions are enabled and the plugin is active
    Affected if Happyforms is active AND the site allows AJAX requests from authenticated administrators

You are affected if the Happyforms plugin is installed with version 1.26.12 or lower and your site has at least one administrator-level user, since the LFI vulnerability can be exploited by any authenticated administrator.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the Happyforms plugin to version 1.26.13 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict administrator-level access and monitor for suspicious file inclusion requests.

Recommended fix High confidence

Happyforms plugin version 1.26.13 or later

  1. Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins
  2. Locate the Happyforms plugin in the installed plugins list
  3. Update the Happyforms plugin to version 1.26.13 or later
  4. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-11977 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-11977 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data