SmashWordPress extension · Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-53443
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 axiomthemes Smash smash allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Smash: from n/a through <= 1.7.
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 confidenceLocal File Inclusion vulnerability in axiomthemes Smash plugin allows attackers to manipulate filename parameters in include/require statements to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem. The vulnerable code fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied input before using it in PHP include/require functions.
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
SmashWordPress extension
<= 1.7CVSS 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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Identify Smash theme installationLocate the Smash theme directory (typically wp-content/themes/smash/) and check the version in style.css or theme.json under 'Version:' fieldAffected if Version is 1.7 or lower, or version field is missing/unreadable but theme is confirmed as Smash by axiomthemes
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Search for dynamic file inclusion patternsGrep the theme PHP files for include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use variables without sanitization - look for patterns like 'include($var)' or 'require($_GET['...'])'Affected if Any include/require statement uses a variable derived from user input (GET, POST, REQUEST) without validation
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Examine parameter handling in theme filesReview PHP files in the theme's inc/, includes/, or template-parts/ directories for $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST variables passed directly to include/require functionsAffected if User-controlled parameters are used directly in file inclusion calls without basename(), realpath(), or whitelist validation
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Check uploads directory PHP executionVerify if the wp-content/uploads folder is configured to allow PHP execution (check for .htaccess restrictions or server config)Affected if Uploads directory permits PHP execution, which would allow RCE if LFI is exploitable
You are affected if the Smash theme version is 1.7 or lower AND your theme files contain include/require statements using unsanitized user input.
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 dataImplement strict input validation with whitelist approach for all file paths used in include/require statements, or upgrade to a patched version of Smash if available. Consider disabling allow_url_include and reviewing all include/require usage for proper path validation.
Fix this in Smash
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-53443 — 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-2025-53443 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
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