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

CVE-2025-53576

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 ovatheme Ovatheme Events ova-events allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Ovatheme Events: from n/a through <= 1.2.8.

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 Ovatheme Events WordPress plugin (ova-events). The vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate file inclusion paths through unsanitized user input in include/require statements, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution by including malicious local PHP files.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Ovatheme Events (if available). As a temporary measure, implement strict input validation on parameters used in include/require statements and consider deploying a WAF to block malicious include path requests.

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. Identify if the Ovatheme Events plugin is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory for 'ova-events' folder, or use wp-cli: wp plugin list --status=active --format=csv | grep -i ova
    Affected if The plugin 'ova-events' or 'ovatheme-events' is installed and active on the WordPress site
  2. Determine the installed plugin version
    Read the main plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/ova-events/ova-events.php (or similar path) to find the 'Version:' field, or query via wp-cli: wp plugin get ova-events --field=version
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within the vulnerable version range (prior to any patched release)
  3. Locate the vulnerable file inclusion code
    Search the plugin source code for include/require statements that use unsanitized user input, typically patterns like 'include($_GET["param"])' or 'require($var)' in PHP files within the plugin directory
    Affected if The plugin contains include/require statements that directly use request parameters (GET/POST) without sanitization (e.g., include($_REQUEST["include"]))
  4. Identify the vulnerable parameter name
    Examine the identified include/require code to determine which user-supplied parameter controls the file path (common names include 'file', 'page', 'path', 'include', 'slug')
    Affected if A parameter controllable via URL (GET) or form submission (POST) is used in the file inclusion without validation
  5. Test if the vulnerable endpoint is accessible
    Attempt a benign inclusion test using the identified parameter (e.g., ?param=../../wp-config.php) to see if the application attempts to load arbitrary files - observe the response for path traversal or file inclusion behavior
    Affected if The parameter accepts path traversal sequences (../) and the server responds with file contents or errors revealing file paths, indicating the LFI is exploitable

The site is affected if the Ovatheme Events plugin is installed with a vulnerable version and contains unsanitized include/require statements that accept user-controlled input.

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 a patched version of Ovatheme Events (if available). As a temporary measure, implement strict input validation on parameters used in include/require statements and consider deploying a WAF to block malicious include path requests.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-53576 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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