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

CVE-2025-26986

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-26
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 StylemixThemes Pearl - Corporate Business pearl allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Pearl - Corporate Business: from n/a through < 3.4.8.

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 · moderate confidence

A Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the StylemixThemes Pearl WordPress theme (versions before 3.4.8) allows attackers to include arbitrary PHP files from the local server via improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements. This can lead to sensitive file disclosure, code execution, or privilege escalation.

MitigationUpgrade to Pearl theme version 3.4.8 or later which contains the security patch. If immediate upgrade is not possible, temporarily disable the theme and review all include/require statements for proper input validation and path traversal protections.

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 Pearl theme version in WordPress admin
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Appearance > Themes and locate the Pearl theme. The version number is displayed in the theme details panel. Alternatively, access the theme's style.css file (typically at /wp-content/themes/pearl/style.css) and locate the 'Version:' header comment.
    Affected if The displayed version number is less than 3.4.8 (for example, 3.4.7, 3.4.6, 3.3.x, etc.)
  2. Verify version via theme stylesheet
    Access the file /wp-content/themes/pearl/style.css on the server and read the 'Version:' value from the file header comment.
    Affected if The version field shows a version number below 3.4.8
  3. Identify vulnerable include/require patterns
    Search the theme directory (specifically files in /wp-content/themes/pearl/) for PHP include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that accept user-supplied input without proper sanitization. Common patterns to look for: include($_GET['file']), require($filename), etc.
    Affected if Any include/require statements use unsanitized variables from $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST as filenames
  4. Check theme file integrity
    Compare the theme files against a clean installation of the same version. Look for any unexpected modifications or added files in the /wp-content/themes/pearl/ directory.
    Affected if The installed files differ from the official theme release or contain unexpected PHP files handling file includes

You are affected if the Pearl theme version is below 3.4.8 and the vulnerable include/require code paths are present and accessible on your WordPress installation.

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

Upgrade to Pearl theme version 3.4.8 or later which contains the security patch. If immediate upgrade is not possible, temporarily disable the theme and review all include/require statements for proper input validation and path traversal protections.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Pearl - Corporate Business theme version 3.4.8 or higher

  1. Backup your WordPress site database and files before making any changes
  2. Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Appearance > Themes
  3. Locate the Pearl - Corporate Business theme
  4. Update the theme to version 3.4.8 or the latest available version
  5. Verify the theme version has been updated successfully after the upgrade
  6. Test critical site functionality to ensure the update did not break any features
Caveat No specific breaking changes documented; standard theme update precautions apply (backup recommended)

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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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-2025-26986 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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