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

CVE-2025-53244

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-28
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 unfoldwp Magazine Elite magazine-elite allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Magazine Elite: from n/a through <= 1.2.4.

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 · high confidence

The Magazine Elite WordPress theme through version 1.2.4 contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability due to improper control of filenames in include/require statements. Attackers can potentially include and execute arbitrary PHP files from the local server, leading to code execution.

MitigationUpdate the Magazine Elite theme to the latest patched version immediately. If no patch exists, disable and replace the theme, then audit the codebase for vulnerable include/require patterns and implement proper input validation.

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. Verify Magazine Elite theme version
    Access the WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Themes, and check the installed version of Magazine Elite theme. Alternatively, inspect the style.css file in the theme directory (wp-content/themes/magazine-elite/style.css) and look for the 'Version:' header.
    Affected if The theme version is 1.2.4 or lower.
  2. Locate theme PHP source files
    Navigate to wp-content/themes/magazine-elite/ and list all PHP files. Focus on files in subdirectories, particularly any 'include', 'require', or 'template' folders.
    Affected if Any PHP files exist in the theme directory.
  3. Search for unsafe include/require statements
    Use grep or a text search to find PHP files containing include, require, include_once, or require_once statements where the path variable could be manipulated (e.g., patterns like include($_GET['...'], include($var, or require $filename).
    Affected if Vulnerable include/require patterns using unsanitized variables are found.
  4. Check for LFI-vulnerable parameters
    Examine any PHP files that include/require files based on request parameters (GET/POST). Look for patterns such as include($_REQUEST['template'], include($_GET['file'], or similar where user input directly specifies a file path.
    Affected if The theme accepts file paths through URL parameters without validation.
  5. Identify accessible PHP files that could be included
    List all PHP files in the theme and WordPress installation that might be targeted via LFI (common targets include wp-config.php, ../wp-config.php, or files in wp-content/uploads/).
    Affected if Arbitrary PHP files on the server could be accessed via the vulnerable include mechanism.

You are affected if the Magazine Elite theme version is 1.2.4 or lower AND the theme contains include/require statements that use unsanitized user input to specify file paths, allowing potential arbitrary PHP file inclusion.

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 the Magazine Elite theme to the latest patched version immediately. If no patch exists, disable and replace the theme, then audit the codebase for vulnerable include/require patterns and implement proper input validation.

Recommended fix Low confidence

Latest version available in the official WordPress plugin repository (newer than 1.2.4)

  1. Backup your WordPress site database and files before making any changes
  2. Navigate to WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the Magazine Elite plugin
  4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the official WordPress plugin repository (wordpress.org/plugins) and upload manually
  6. After updating, verify the plugin is running the newest available version
  7. Test critical site functionality to ensure the update did not break existing features
  8. Review the plugin's changelog to confirm the security vulnerability is addressed in the installed version
Caveat Plugin updates may occasionally introduce breaking changes; test in staging if possible

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2025-53244 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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