CVE-2025-53198
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 · uneditedImproper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in favethemes Houzez houzez allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Houzez: from n/a through <= 4.0.4.
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 confidenceThis is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the favethemes Houzez WordPress theme. The vulnerability exists due to improper control of filenames in PHP include/require statements, allowing attackers to potentially include and execute arbitrary local PHP files by manipulating file path parameters.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Houzez theme is installedNavigate to wp-content/themes/ and check for the houzez folder. Alternatively, in WordPress admin go to Appearance > Themes to confirm Houzez is active.Affected if Houzez theme is installed and active in WordPress
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Determine installed Houzez theme versionCheck the style.css file in the theme directory (wp-content/themes/houzez/) for the 'Version:' header, or look for a version constant in theme PHP files.Affected if Installed version falls within any vulnerable version range (check against vendor advisories)
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Identify file inclusion parameters in theme codeSearch theme PHP files for include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use unsanitized variables in the file path (e.g., $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST). Focus on files handling template parts or dynamic loading.Affected if Code contains include/require statements using raw user input without sanitization like basename() or realpath()
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Test for LFI via HTTP requestsIf the vulnerable parameter is identified, attempt a benign LFI test (e.g., requesting a known local file like ../../../../wp-config.php) through the affected URL parameter. Only do this in non-production environments with authorization.Affected if The application returns content from local files via the manipulated parameter, confirming LFI is possible
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Check PHP configuration settingsReview php.ini for allow_url_include=1 and ensure open_basedir restrictions are not in place or are too permissive.Affected if allow_url_include is enabled or open_basedir is not restricting access to sensitive directories
The environment is affected if Houzez theme is installed, the version is unpatched, and the vulnerable file inclusion parameter is accessible and accepts path traversal sequences without sanitization.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate to the latest patched version of the Houzez theme. If no patch is available, implement strict input validation and path sanitization on all file inclusion parameters, and disable allow_url_include in PHP configuration.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-53198 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-53198 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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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