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

CVE-2025-49942

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 Gardis gardis allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Gardis: from n/a through <= 1.2.13.

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

Local File Inclusion vulnerability in AncoraThemes Gardis theme allows attackers to manipulate file include statements to execute arbitrary PHP code. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation on file path parameters, potentially enabling directory traversal and remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate Gardis theme to latest patched version immediately. If no patch exists, disable the theme, implement web application firewall rules to block directory traversal patterns (../, null byte injection), and manually audit code for insecure include/require statements using user-supplied input.

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 if Gardis theme is installed
    Check the theme directory (typically /wp-content/themes/gardis/ or similar path depending on CMS) and verify the theme exists and is active
    Affected if Gardis theme is present and enabled in the environment
  2. Determine installed Gardis theme version
    Locate and read the theme's style.css, functions.php, or version.php file to find the version number declared in the theme metadata
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is older than the patched version
  3. Locate file inclusion functions using user input
    Search theme PHP files (especially functions.php, header.php, footer.php, template files) for include, require, include_once, require_once statements that incorporate request parameters ($_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST)
    Affected if Any include/require statements directly use unsanitized user-supplied input for file paths
  4. Test for directory traversal in file path parameters
    Identify URL parameters used in file inclusion (e.g., ?file=, ?page=, ?template=) and inspect the code handling them; verify whether the application sanitizes or blocks ../ sequences and null bytes
    Affected if Parameters accept directory traversal sequences without proper validation or filtering
  5. Review template/partial inclusion logic
    Examine any dynamic template loading mechanisms in the theme that construct file paths from user input, checking if paths are restricted to an allowed directory
    Affected if Dynamic template loading allows paths outside the intended theme directory

The environment is affected if Gardis theme is installed and contains file inclusion code that uses unsanitized user input, allowing directory traversal.

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 Gardis theme to latest patched version immediately. If no patch exists, disable the theme, implement web application firewall rules to block directory traversal patterns (../, null byte injection), and manually audit code for insecure include/require statements using user-supplied input.

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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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2025-49942 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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