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

CVE-2025-23948

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in Webarea Background animation blocks background-animation-blocks allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Background animation blocks: from n/a through <= 2.1.5.

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

A Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability exists in the Background animation blocks WordPress plugin where user-supplied input is used in PHP include/require statements without proper validation. An attacker could potentially read sensitive files from the server or achieve code execution depending on server configuration.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to the latest version which should include proper input validation on file inclusion paths, or implement sanitization/validation of all file path parameters before use in include statements.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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. Check if Background animation blocks plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Background animation blocks', or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder containing 'background-animation' or similar
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active in WordPress
  2. Identify installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin Plugins list, click on the plugin to view details and note the version number, or check the main plugin PHP file for the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block
    Affected if Version number is lower than the patched version (users must compare against current vendor advisory)
  3. Identify vulnerable include/require code pattern
    Examine PHP files in the plugin directory (especially files handling user input) for patterns like 'include($_GET[...])' or 'require($_POST[...])' without sanitization functions such as 'basename()' or 'realpath()'
    Affected if PHP include/require statements directly use unsanitized user input from $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST superglobals
  4. Check for file path parameters in plugin endpoints
    Identify plugin PHP files that handle file path parameters (look for parameters like 'file', 'path', 'template', 'page', or similar in URL query strings), then verify if these parameters are used in include/require without validation
    Affected if Plugin exposes any file path parameters in HTTP requests that get used in server-side file inclusion

You are affected if the Background animation blocks plugin is installed and its version is below the patched version, or if the plugin code contains include/require statements using unsanitized user-supplied input.

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 plugin to the latest version which should include proper input validation on file inclusion paths, or implement sanitization/validation of all file path parameters before use in include statements.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Update to the latest version of Background animation blocks (check WordPress plugin repository for current stable release above 2.1.5)

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard and go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  2. 2. Locate the 'Background animation blocks' plugin by Webarea
  3. 3. Check the current installed version (should be <= 2.1.5)
  4. 4. Update the plugin to the latest available version from the WordPress plugin repository
  5. 5. Verify the update was successful and test that the site functionality remains intact
  6. 6. If automatic updates are not enabled, consider enabling them for this plugin or implementing a manual update check schedule
Caveat Minor: Test site functionality after update as with any plugin update

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 / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2025-23948 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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