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

CVE-2025-52768

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 Faith & Hope faith-hope allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Faith & Hope: from n/a through <= 2.13.0.

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

The Faith & Hope WordPress theme by AncoraThemes contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability caused by improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements. Attackers can exploit this to include and execute arbitrary PHP files from the local filesystem, potentially leading to remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate Faith & Hope theme to the latest patched version immediately. As interim measures, disable allow_url_include in php.ini, implement strict whitelist-based input validation on all file inclusion parameters, and ensure PHP error display is disabled in production.

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 Faith & Hope theme is installed
    Locate the theme directory in your WordPress installation, typically under wp-content/themes/faith-and-hope or similar naming convention. Check for the presence of the Faith & Hope theme folder.
    Affected if The Faith & Hope theme folder exists in the WordPress themes directory.
  2. Determine the installed theme version
    Open the theme's main style.css file (usually found at wp-content/themes/faith-and-hope/style.css) and locate the 'Version:' header in the CSS comment block at the top. Alternatively, check functions.php for a version definition constant.
    Affected if The installed version is unknown, unpatched, or falls within an older version range compared to the vendor's patched release.
  3. Locate vulnerable file inclusion code
    Search the theme's PHP files for include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use dynamic variable input (e.g., include($file), require($_GET['file'])) without proper sanitization. Focus on files in any 'include' or 'inc' directories within the theme.
    Affected if Code patterns like 'include($variable)' or 'require($_REQUEST[...])' are found without sanitization functions such as realpath(), basename(), or whitelist validation.
  4. Check for accessible parameters
    Review the theme's PHP files, particularly any AJAX handlers or template files, to identify if file path parameters can be supplied via GET or POST requests. Test by examining the parameter names in the vulnerable include/require calls.
    Affected if User-supplied input (GET, POST, COOKIE) is directly used in file inclusion statements without validation.
  5. Verify theme is actively loaded
    Check if the Faith & Hope theme is currently activated in WordPress by reviewing the wp_options table (option_name 'template' and 'stylesheet') or by accessing the WordPress admin dashboard under Appearance > Themes.
    Affected if The theme is activated and accessible via the website, making the vulnerability exploitable against visitors or administrators.

You are affected if the Faith & Hope theme by AncoraThemes is installed and activated with vulnerable file inclusion code patterns that accept user-supplied 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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Faith & Hope theme to the latest patched version immediately. As interim measures, disable allow_url_include in php.ini, implement strict whitelist-based input validation on all file inclusion parameters, and ensure PHP error display is disabled in production.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version of Faith & Hope theme newer than 2.13.0

  1. 1. Backup the entire WordPress site and database before making any changes.
  2. 2. Update the Faith & Hope theme to the latest available version from AncoraThemes or through the WordPress admin dashboard.
  3. 3. If the latest version is not available through automatic updates, manually download the updated theme from the official vendor source.
  4. 4. Verify the update was successful by checking the theme version in WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes.
  5. 5. Test critical site functionality to ensure the update did not break existing features.
Caveat Theme updates may introduce template changes; review child theme compatibility and custom modifications after upgrade

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2025-52768 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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