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

CVE-2025-32288

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 stmcan RT-Theme 18 | Extensions rt18-extensions allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects RT-Theme 18 | Extensions: from n/a through <= 2.4.

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 · moderate confidence

This is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the RT-Theme 18 Extensions plugin where improper validation of filenames used in include/require statements allows attackers to include arbitrary local PHP files. The CVSS 7.5 score reflects the high impact of potential remote code execution through LFI, combined with network-exploitable attack vector and low attack complexity.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using allowlists for any file path parameters used in include/require statements, avoiding direct use of user-supplied input; if available, update to a patched version of rt18-extensions.

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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. Locate the RT-Theme 18 Extensions plugin in the web root
    Search for the plugin directory: find /var/www -type d -name '*rt*theme*' or search for files containing 'rt-theme' or 'rt18' in the codebase. Check common WordPress plugin paths like /wp-content/plugins/
    Affected if The plugin directory exists on the server
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    Check for a version file or header in the plugin: look for a 'readme.txt', 'plugin.php' with version comments, or a 'package.json' within the plugin directory. Look for a 'Version:' field in the main plugin PHP file
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or is unknown (unpatched versions contain the vulnerability)
  3. Find file inclusion code paths in the plugin
    Search the plugin source for dynamic include/require statements: grep -r 'include' --include='*.php' and grep -r 'require' --include='*.php' looking for variables used in these statements, especially without sanitization like $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST
    Affected if Dynamic file inclusion using user-controlled input without validation is present
  4. Verify the web server user has filesystem access
    Check if the web server process (www-data, apache, nginx) has read access to sensitive system files like /etc/passwd or configuration files outside the web root
    Affected if The web server user can read files outside the web document root (enabling LFI to work)
  5. Test for the LFI vulnerability via HTTP
    If accessible, attempt a controlled test by passing a known file path in parameters used by the plugin (e.g., ?file=../../../../etc/passwd or similar path traversal patterns). Check server response for file contents
    Affected if The server returns contents of arbitrary local files when path traversal sequences are provided in plugin parameters

If the RT-Theme 18 Extensions plugin is installed with dynamic file inclusion using unsanitized user input, and the web server can access files outside the web root, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2025-32288.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement strict input validation using allowlists for any file path parameters used in include/require statements, avoiding direct use of user-supplied input; if available, update to a patched version of rt18-extensions.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2025-32288 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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