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

CVE-2025-54015

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 HT Plugins HT Contact Form 7 ht-contactform allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects HT Contact Form 7: from n/a through <= 2.0.0.

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

Local File Inclusion vulnerability in HT Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin allows attackers to include arbitrary local PHP files via improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements, potentially leading to remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate HT Contact Form 7 to the latest patched version; implement strict whitelist-based input validation on file inclusion parameters; ensure allow_url_include is disabled in PHP configuration.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/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. Locate the HT Contact Form 7 plugin in your WordPress installation
    Navigate to your WordPress wp-content/plugins directory and search for a folder named 'ht-contact-form-7' or similar variants; alternatively, log into the WordPress admin dashboard and go to Plugins > Installed Plugins to verify if HT Contact Form 7 is listed
    Affected if the plugin folder exists in the plugins directory or appears in the WordPress admin plugins list
  2. Determine the installed version of HT Contact Form 7
    In the WordPress admin, locate the plugin in the Installed Plugins list and note the version number displayed under the plugin name; alternatively, inspect the plugin's main PHP file (often named index.php or similar in the plugin folder) and look for a 'Version' header in the file comments
    Affected if the version number cannot be determined or matches known vulnerable versions of this plugin
  3. Verify if the plugin is currently active
    In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Instored Plugins and check the status indicator for HT Contact Form 7; an 'Active' status means the plugin code is currently executing on your site
    Affected if the plugin shows as Active, meaning its vulnerable code is loaded and accessible
  4. Identify if file inclusion functionality is accessible
    Review the plugin's source code in the plugin folder, specifically searching for include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use variables or parameters without proper sanitization; examine any AJAX handlers or frontend submission endpoints that accept file path parameters
    Affected if the plugin code contains dynamic file inclusion operations using unsanitized input parameters that could be manipulated
  5. Check PHP configuration for allow_url_include setting
    Create a PHP info page or check your php.ini file for the 'allow_url_include' directive; this setting controls whether PHP can include files from URLs, which would amplify the impact of any LFI vulnerability
    Affected if allow_url_include is enabled in PHP configuration (though this is less critical for pure local file inclusion)

You are affected if the HT Contact Form 7 plugin is installed, active, and runs a version with the known LFI vulnerability in its file inclusion mechanism.

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

Update HT Contact Form 7 to the latest patched version; implement strict whitelist-based input validation on file inclusion parameters; ensure allow_url_include is disabled in PHP configuration.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2025-54015 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data