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

CVE-2025-47496

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 PublishPress PublishPress Authors publishpress-authors allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects PublishPress Authors: from n/a through <= 4.7.5.

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

The PublishPress Authors WordPress plugin versions through 4.7.5 contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability where user-controlled input is improperly used in include/require statements without sanitization, allowing attackers to include arbitrary local files from the server file system.

MitigationUpdate PublishPress Authors to the latest patched version, or if no update is available, implement strict input validation and whitelist-based file path controls in the plugin code to prevent arbitrary file inclusion.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/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. Confirm PublishPress Authors plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and look for 'PublishPress Authors' in the installed plugins list, or check the file system at /wp-content/plugins/publishpress-authors/ for the plugin directory
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active on the WordPress site
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In the WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate PublishPress Authors; the version number is displayed next to the plugin name. Alternatively, check the main plugin file (usually publishpress-authors.php) for the 'Version' header comment
    Affected if The installed version is 4.7.5 or any earlier version
  3. Locate files containing include/require statements
    Inspect PHP files in the plugin directory for dynamic include/require statements that use request parameters (such as $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST) without sanitization. Common patterns to search for: include($_REQUEST['...']), require($_GET['...'])
    Affected if Dynamic file inclusion code exists that uses unsanitized user input from URL or form parameters
  4. Identify the vulnerable parameter entry point
    Review the identified include/require code to determine which URL parameter controls the file path. Look for parameters passed through $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST that are used directly in the include/require statement
    Affected if A request parameter (e.g., 'file', 'path', 'template', 'view') is used directly in file inclusion without validation
  5. Test for LFI if parameter is identified
    If a vulnerable parameter is found, attempt a controlled test by passing a benign local file path (e.g., ../../wp-config.php) to the parameter in a request and observe if the file contents are returned or included in the response. Only perform this on non-production systems or with authorization
    Affected if The parameter returns contents of local files outside the intended directory, confirming the LFI vulnerability

A site is affected if it runs PublishPress Authors version 4.7.5 or earlier AND contains the vulnerable include/require code that uses unsanitized user input, allowing arbitrary local file inclusion.

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 PublishPress Authors to the latest patched version, or if no update is available, implement strict input validation and whitelist-based file path controls in the plugin code to prevent arbitrary file inclusion.

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-2025-47496 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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