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

CVE-2025-60053

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-18
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 AncoraThemes MaxCube maxcube allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects MaxCube: from n/a through <= 1.3.1.

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 MaxCube theme from AncoraThemes contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability due to improper control of filenames in include/require statements. Attackers can manipulate input parameters to include arbitrary PHP files from the local filesystem, potentially executing malicious code or accessing sensitive configuration files.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using allowlists for file paths, avoid using user-supplied input in include/require statements, and disable remote file inclusion in PHP configuration (allow_url_include=0).

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. Confirm MaxCube theme is in use
    Identify if the AncoraThemes MaxCube theme is installed on the WordPress or PHP-based site. Check theme directory for maxcube folder, or view page source for 'MaxCube' or 'AncoraThemes' metadata.
    Affected if MaxCube theme is actively installed and serving pages
  2. Determine installed MaxCube version
    Locate the theme's style.css or version file within the MaxCube theme directory and read the Version: header. Alternatively, check any version.php or theme.json file included with the theme.
    Affected if Reported version is 1.3.1 or lower
  3. Identify file inclusion endpoints
    Search application source code for include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that incorporate request parameters (e.g., $_GET, $_POST). Focus on parameters named similarly to 'file', 'path', 'template', 'page', or 'slug'.
    Affected if User-controlled parameters are used directly in file inclusion functions without sanitization
  4. Test for LFI via URL parameters
    If file inclusion parameters are found, attempt to include a known local file such as /etc/passwd (Linux) or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (Windows) via the suspected parameter, observing if file contents are returned in the response.
    Affected if Including a known local file returns its contents in the response
  5. Check PHP configuration for remote inclusion
    Inspect php.ini for allow_url_include = On. While not required for LFI, this configuration would also permit remote file inclusion if the vulnerability exists.
    Affected if allow_url_include is enabled and file inclusion parameters accept arbitrary paths

The environment is affected if MaxCube theme version 1.3.1 or lower is installed and the application uses file inclusion with unsanitized user input in include/require statements.

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

Implement strict input validation using allowlists for file paths, avoid using user-supplied input in include/require statements, and disable remote file inclusion in PHP configuration (allow_url_include=0).

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-2025-60053 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.

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