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

CVE-2025-49359

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-18
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 AncoraThemes ShieldGroup shieldgroup allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects ShieldGroup: from n/a through <= 2.13.

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 (LFI) vulnerability in AncoraThemes ShieldGroup (versions through 2.13) allows remote attackers to include arbitrary local files via improperly controlled filename parameters in PHP include/require statements. This can enable unauthorized access to sensitive files on the server filesystem.

MitigationSanitize and validate all user-supplied input used in include/require statements, implement allowlist-based file access controls, and upgrade to a patched version if available. Consider deploying a WAF rule to detect and block LFI attack patterns as an interim defense.

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. Locate the ShieldGroup theme in WordPress
    Navigate to wp-content/themes/ in your WordPress installation directory and identify if a folder named 'shieldgroup' or similar exists. Check the theme's style.css file for the theme name header.
    Affected if The ShieldGroup theme folder is present in the themes directory
  2. Determine the installed theme version
    Open the theme's style.css file and locate the 'Version:' declaration in the file header comment. Also check functions.php or index.php for version constants if present.
    Affected if The version is 2.13 or lower, or if no version can be determined but the theme is present
  3. Search for dynamic file inclusion patterns
    Use grep or a text editor to scan all PHP files in the theme folder for patterns matching include($_GET[, require($_GET[, include_once($_GET[, require_once($_GET[, or similar constructs where user input from $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST is used directly in inclusion functions.
    Affected if Any PHP include/require statements using unsanitized $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST parameters are found
  4. Verify the inclusion parameter is user-accessible
    Examine the vulnerable include/require code found to determine which parameter controls the file path. Check if this parameter can be passed via URL (GET) or form submission (POST) without authentication.
    Affected if The vulnerable parameter is accessible to unauthenticated users via HTTP requests
  5. Confirm the vulnerability is exploitable
    Attempt a safe test by including a known local file path (such as ../../wp-config.php) through the vulnerable parameter to verify the LFI exists. Alternatively, check server logs for successful inclusion of test files.
    Affected if Local files can be included via the parameter, confirming the LFI vulnerability is present and exploitable

Your environment is affected if the ShieldGroup theme is installed with version 2.13 or lower AND contains PHP include/require statements that use user-controlled input without 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

Sanitize and validate all user-supplied input used in include/require statements, implement allowlist-based file access controls, and upgrade to a patched version if available. Consider deploying a WAF rule to detect and block LFI attack patterns as an interim defense.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,440
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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-2025-49359 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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