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

CVE-2025-49070

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-04
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 NasaTheme Elessi elessi-theme allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Elessi: from n/a through < 6.4.1.

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

A Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the Elessi theme (versions before 6.4.1) allows attackers to include arbitrary PHP files from the server file system, potentially enabling sensitive data exposure or remote code execution via malicious file inclusion requests.

MitigationUpgrade Elessi theme to version 6.4.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable the theme temporarily and implement web application firewall rules to block directory traversal and file inclusion patterns in HTTP requests.

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. Identify installed Elessi theme version
    Locate the theme's version information in the theme's style.css file (usually in wp-content/themes/elessi-theme/) or in the theme's admin panel under Appearance > Themes. The version is typically declared in the CSS header comment as 'Version: X.X.X'.
    Affected if The detected version number is lower than 6.4.1 (for example, 6.4.0, 6.3.x, or earlier).
  2. Confirm theme is actively loaded
    Verify that the Elessi theme is currently active on the WordPress site by checking the active theme in WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes, or by inspecting the wp_options table for the 'template' or 'stylesheet' option values.
    Affected if The theme is currently active and serving pages to visitors.
  3. Inspect HTTP access logs for LFI patterns
    Review web server access logs (Apache error/access logs, Nginx access logs, or CDN logs) for incoming requests that contain directory traversal sequences such as '../', '..%2f', or file inclusion indicators like '?file=', '?template=', '?page=', along with paths to sensitive files (e.g., /etc/passwd, wp-config.php).
    Affected if Any requests match patterns like '../', '..%2f', or '?file=../../' combined with paths to system or configuration files.
  4. Check for unauthorized file modifications
    Compare the current theme files in wp-content/themes/elessi-theme/ against a known-clean backup or the original theme distribution. Focus on PHP files in includes/ajax/ and similar directories where file inclusion logic typically resides.
    Affected if Any PHP files show unexpected modifications, new suspicious files exist, or files differ from the original theme distribution.
  5. Identify exposed include/require parameters
    Test theme AJAX endpoints by sending GET or POST requests with parameter names like 'file', 'path', 'template', or 'load' containing directory traversal sequences (e.g., ?action=elessi_ajax&file=../../../../etc/passwd). Check if the response reveals file contents.
    Affected if The server responds with the contents of files outside the web root when traversal sequences are used in theme parameters.

A user is affected if the Elessi theme version is below 6.4.1 and the theme is currently active on a live WordPress site, regardless of whether exploitation attempts are observed in logs.

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 Elessi theme to version 6.4.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable the theme temporarily and implement web application firewall rules to block directory traversal and file inclusion patterns in HTTP requests.

Recommended fix High confidence

Elessi theme version 6.4.1 or later

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Appearance > Themes
  3. 3. Locate the Elessi theme
  4. 4. Check the current version of the Elessi theme
  5. 5. If the version is below 6.4.1, update the theme to version 6.4.1 or later
  6. 6. Verify the update was successful by confirming the new version number
  7. 7. Test the website functionality to ensure the update did not break any features

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2025-49070 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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