dbcve.org
FitlineWordPress extension · Axiomthemes

CVE-2025-53438

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.6 or later.
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 axiomthemes FitLine fitline allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects FitLine: from n/a through <= 1.6.

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 FitLine WordPress theme by axiomthemes contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability where user-supplied input is improperly used in include/require statements without adequate validation. This allows attackers to read sensitive local files from the server filesystem, potentially exposing configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data.

MitigationUpdate the FitLine theme to the latest version which should contain a patch for proper input validation on file inclusion paths, or implement strict allowlist-based validation on any file inclusion parameters to prevent path traversal.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
FitlineWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.6

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 FitLine theme version
    Locate the version identifier in the theme's main PHP files or documentation files (style.css, readme.txt, or functions.php) and compare it to the affected version range
    Affected if The installed version is 1.6 or lower
  2. Identify variable-based file inclusion
    Search the theme's PHP files for include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() statements where a variable is used in the file path argument
    Affected if Variable-based inclusion patterns are found without apparent validation
  3. Check for user input in inclusion statements
    Examine the identified inclusion code for direct use of $_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST, or similar superglobal variables in the file path
    Affected if User-supplied input flows directly into include/require without sanitization

If the installed FitLine theme version is 1.6 or lower AND the code contains include/require statements using unsanitized user input, the environment is affected by CVE-2025-53438.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.6
Interim mitigation

Update the FitLine theme to the latest version which should contain a patch for proper input validation on file inclusion paths, or implement strict allowlist-based validation on any file inclusion parameters to prevent path traversal.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version of FitLine theme from axiomthemes (requires checking ThemeForest or axiomthemes for the specific fixed version number)

  1. 1. Check the current version of the FitLine theme installed on your WordPress site.
  2. 2. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard, then go to Appearance > Themes to verify the installed version.
  3. 3. Obtain the latest version of the FitLine theme from the official source (ThemeForest or axiomthemes).
  4. 4. Before updating, create a full backup of your WordPress site including both files and database.
  5. 5. Update the FitLine theme to the latest available version which contains the fix for the Local File Inclusion vulnerability.
  6. 6. Verify the update was successful by checking the theme version in the admin panel.
  7. 7. Test critical functionality on your site to ensure the update did not break any features.
Caveat Theme updates may override custom template modifications; review any customizations after upgrading

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

Fix this in Fitline Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2025-53438 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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