CVE-2025-28998
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 Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in serpednet SERPed.net serped-net allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects SERPed.net: from n/a through <= 4.6.
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 confidenceThis is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in SERPed.net version 4.6 and earlier. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied input before using it in include/require statements, allowing attackers to read sensitive local files from the server filesystem.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm SERPed.net installationIdentify if the web application running is SERPed.net by checking application files, headers, or administrative interface for product identification.Affected if The application is not SERPed.net (not affected)
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Determine installed versionLocate the version file or script within the SERPed.net installation (commonly in config files, readme, or version info) and note the exact version number.Affected if Version is 4.6 or higher (not affected); version is 4.6 or earlier (possibly affected)
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Identify PHP include/require with dynamic inputSearch PHP source files for patterns like 'include($_GET[', 'require($_POST[', 'include($_REQUEST[' or similar constructs where user-supplied parameters are used directly in include/require statements.Affected if Such patterns exist and user input flows directly to file inclusion functions (vulnerable)
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Inspect file inclusion logicExamine the PHP files identified in step 3 to determine if the parameter values are validated against a whitelist or sanitized before being used in include/require.Affected if No whitelist validation or sanitization is performed before the include/require (vulnerable)
You are affected if SERPed.net version 4.6 or earlier is installed AND user-controlled input is used in PHP include/require statements without validation.
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.
From vendor dataImplement strict input validation using whitelist approach for file paths, avoid using user input directly in include/require statements, and consider using a file inclusion map or switch statement instead of dynamic file paths.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-28998 — 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-2025-28998 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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