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

CVE-2025-32298

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-27
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 Case-Themes CTUsers ctuser allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects CTUsers: from n/a through <= 1.0.0.

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 exists in the CTUsers plugin (version <= 1.0.0) where the application uses user-controlled input in PHP include/require statements without proper validation. This allows an attacker to traverse directories and include arbitrary PHP files from the server, potentially leading to sensitive data disclosure or remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate CTUsers to the latest patched version. If no patch is available, disable the plugin and implement WAF rules to block directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../) in request parameters.

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. Verify CTUsers plugin installation and version
    Locate the CTUsers plugin directory in your web application's plugin/extension folder. Check for a version file, plugin.xml, or README that displays the installed version number. Common paths include /wp-content/plugins/ctusers/, /plugins/ctusers/, or similar depending on your CMS/application framework.
    Affected if CTUsers plugin is installed and the version is 1.0.0 or lower.
  2. Confirm CTUsers plugin is enabled
    Check your application's plugin administration panel or configuration files to verify that CTUsers is actively loaded and processing requests.
    Affected if The CTUsers plugin is installed, enabled, and processing user requests.
  3. Identify user-controlled input used in include/require statements
    Review the CTUsers plugin source code, specifically looking for PHP include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() statements where the path or filename comes from $_GET, $_POST, or other user-supplied parameters.
    Affected if The plugin code uses user input (GET/POST parameters) directly in include or require statements without sanitization.
  4. Check for missing path traversal validation
    Examine the plugin code around the include/require calls to determine if there are any checks that prevent directory traversal characters (such as ../ or ..\). Look for functions like basename(), realpath(), or explicit pattern matching.
    Affected if No validation or sanitization exists to block directory traversal sequences in the included file path.
  5. Test for directory traversal exploitability
    If you have access to a testing environment, attempt to include a known PHP file using a path like ../../../../etc/passwd or ../../../../[existing_file] via the suspected vulnerable parameter.
    Affected if Arbitrary files can be included by manipulating the parameter with directory traversal sequences.

You are affected if CTUsers plugin version 1.0.0 or lower is installed and enabled, and user-controlled input is used in PHP include/require statements without directory traversal validation.

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

Update CTUsers to the latest patched version. If no patch is available, disable the plugin and implement WAF rules to block directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../) in request parameters.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-32298 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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