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

CVE-2025-49257

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 thembay Zota zota allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Zota: from n/a through <= 1.3.8.

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 PHP Local File Inclusion vulnerability in thembay Zota Zota (version <= 1.3.8) allows attackers to include arbitrary PHP files from the local server file system, potentially leading to code execution.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using whitelist approaches for file paths, use basename() and realpath() to sanitize user-supplied file references, and ensure allow_url_include is disabled in PHP configuration.

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Zota Zota installation
    Locate thembay Zota Zota application files on the server. Common paths include /var/www/html/, /home/*/public_html/, or the web root directory. Look for directory named 'zota' or 'zota-zota' containing PHP files with the thembay structure.
    Affected if Zota Zota thembay theme is present on the server
  2. Check installed version
    Locate the version file or header in the Zota Zota installation. Check files like version.php, composer.json, or the main plugin/theme bootstrap file for a version constant. Compare against the affected range: versions 1.3.8 and below are vulnerable.
    Affected if Installed version is 1.3.8 or lower
  3. Verify PHP processing environment
    Confirm the application is being served by a PHP-enabled web server (Apache/Nginx with PHP-FPM or mod_php). Check for active PHP processes handling .php requests for the Zota Zota application.
    Affected if PHP is processing the Zota Zota application files
  4. Identify LFI-prone file inclusion patterns
    Search the Zota Zota PHP source code for dynamic file inclusion statements using variables in include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() without proper sanitization. Look for patterns where user-controllable parameters (e.g., $_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST) are directly used in file paths.
    Affected if Dynamic file inclusion code using unsanitized user input exists in the application
  5. Check PHP configuration
    Inspect php.ini for the allow_url_include setting. While this primarily affects RFI, verify the PHP configuration does not have overly permissive file access settings that would aid exploitation.
    Affected if PHP configuration allows remote file inclusion (allow_url_include=1)
  6. Test for accessible file inclusion parameter
    If the code analysis reveals potential LFI entry points, examine HTTP requests to identify which parameters accept file path values. Review web server logs for suspicious requests targeting include/require functions with directory traversal patterns.
    Affected if URL parameters accept file path input without validation

You are affected if Zota Zota version 1.3.8 or lower is installed and running on a PHP server with exploitable file inclusion code paths accessible via web requests.

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

Implement strict input validation using whitelist approaches for file paths, use basename() and realpath() to sanitize user-supplied file references, and ensure allow_url_include is disabled in PHP configuration.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version beyond 1.3.8 (verify with vendor for security release)

  1. 1. Check thembay Zota theme/plugin vendor for the latest security release
  2. 2. Review patchstack.com for detailed vulnerability analysis and any available fix information
  3. 3. If a newer version exists (beyond 1.3.8), upgrade to that version
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify the file inclusion paths are properly sanitized and cannot be manipulated
  5. 5. Test the fix in a staging environment before deploying to production

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

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-2025-49257 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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