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

CVE-2025-54028

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 Saleswonder Team: Tobias CF7 WOW Styler cf7-styler allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects CF7 WOW Styler: from n/a through <= 1.7.2.

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 CF7 WOW Styler WordPress plugin. The plugin improperly handles file inclusion in include/require statements, allowing attackers to include arbitrary local PHP files by manipulating input parameters. This can lead to remote code execution if an attacker can upload or access malicious PHP files on the server.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of CF7 WOW Styler once released by the vendor. Until then, disable the plugin or implement WAF rules to block directory traversal patterns (../) and suspicious file inclusion parameters in HTTP 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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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. Verify CF7 WOW Styler plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'CF7 WOW Styler' or 'Wow Styler for Contact Form 7' in the list
    Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    Click on the plugin name/details in the WordPress plugins page to view the installed version number, or inspect the plugin main PHP file header for the 'Version' comment
    Affected if The displayed version matches or precedes any version that has not yet received the security patch (compare against vendor release notes)
  3. Confirm the plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, verify the plugin status shows 'Active' under CF7 WOW Styler
    Affected if The plugin is active and accessible via web requests
  4. Check for directory traversal in web server logs
    Review Apache/nginx access logs for requests to the plugin's PHP files containing '../' patterns or suspicious file paths (e.g., ../../etc/passwd)
    Affected if Log entries show attempted or successful LFI patterns targeting the plugin endpoints
  5. Inspect plugin directory for unauthorized files
    List files in /wp-content/plugins/cf7-wow-styler/ (or similar path based on installation) and look for unfamiliar PHP files that may have been uploaded
    Affected if Unexpected PHP files exist in the plugin directory that were not part of the original installation

If the CF7 WOW Styler plugin is installed and active without the vendor patch, the environment is vulnerable to LFI and potential remote code execution via the file inclusion flaw.

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 to a patched version of CF7 WOW Styler once released by the vendor. Until then, disable the plugin or implement WAF rules to block directory traversal patterns (../) and suspicious file inclusion parameters in HTTP requests.

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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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2025-54028 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
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