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

CVE-2025-53437

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 ApusTheme Greenorganic greenorganic allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Greenorganic: from n/a through <= 2.45.

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

This is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the ApusTheme Greenorganic theme (versions <=2.45). The vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate file path parameters in include/require statements to include arbitrary local files, potentially leading to remote code execution if they can upload or access malicious PHP files on the server.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest version of the Greenorganic theme if a patch is available. Otherwise, implement strict whitelist-based validation on all file inclusion parameters and disable allow_url_include in PHP configuration to prevent remote file inclusion.

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. Confirm Greenorganic theme is installed
    Inspect your WordPress theme directory (wp-content/themes/) for a folder named 'greenorganic' or similar. Check the theme name in the theme's style.css or theme.json file under the 'Theme Name' field.
    Affected if The Greenorganic theme by ApusTheme is present in the themes directory
  2. Locate and read the theme version
    Open the theme's style.css file in the greenorganic theme folder and find the 'Version:' declaration in the file header comment. Alternatively, check theme.json for a 'version' field.
    Affected if The version number displayed is 2.45 or lower
  3. Search for vulnerable file inclusion patterns
    Search the theme's PHP files (particularly in includes/, libs/, or similar directories) for include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use variables in the file path without proper sanitization. Look for patterns like 'include($file)', 'require($_GET[...])', or dynamic file includes using user-controlled input.
    Affected if PHP files contain dynamic file inclusion that uses unsanitized variables from request parameters
  4. Identify exposed entry points
    Check if the theme exposes any frontend files (in the theme root or subdirectories) that handle file path parameters via GET or POST requests. Review any PHP files that parse URL parameters and pass them to include/require statements.
    Affected if Accessible PHP scripts accept file path parameters without validation or whitelist filtering
  5. Verify web server can reach include paths
    Test whether the web server user has read access to sensitive local files (like /etc/passwd, wp-config.php) by attempting to include them through any identified vulnerable parameters (using curl or browser). This confirms the LFI is exploitable.
    Affected if The server returns content from arbitrary local files when path parameters are manipulated

You are affected if the Greenorganic theme version is 2.45 or lower AND your installation contains PHP code that uses unsanitized user input in file inclusion functions, and that code is accessible via web requests.

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

Upgrade to the latest version of the Greenorganic theme if a patch is available. Otherwise, implement strict whitelist-based validation on all file inclusion parameters and disable allow_url_include in PHP configuration to prevent remote file inclusion.

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-2025-53437 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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