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

CVE-2025-60072

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 Processby Anchor smooth scroll anchor-smooth-scroll allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Anchor smooth scroll: from n/a through <= 1.0.2.

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 · moderate confidence

The Anchor smooth scroll plugin for PHP contains a file inclusion vulnerability where user-supplied input is used in include/require statements without proper sanitization. This allows attackers to manipulate file paths via directory traversal to include arbitrary local files, potentially exposing sensitive system files or executing malicious PHP code.

MitigationImplement strict input validation and whitelist-based filtering on any parameters used in include/require statements, ensuring only predefined, safe file paths can be included. Alternatively, refactor to avoid dynamic file inclusion entirely.

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 Anchor smooth scroll plugin is installed
    Search for files named 'anchor-smooth-scroll' or similar in the web document root, typically under /wp-content/plugins/ (for WordPress) or in the application's includes/modules directories
    Affected if The plugin directory exists on the server
  2. Determine the installed version
    Check for a version file (like version.php, README, or composer.json) within the plugin directory to identify the exact version number
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or is unknown and the plugin is present
  3. Locate file inclusion code
    Search the plugin source code for 'include', 'require', 'include_once', or 'require_once' statements that use variables in the file path (e.g., include($_GET['page']) or require($file)
    Affected if Dynamic file inclusion using user-supplied input is found in the code
  4. Check if the vulnerable parameter is accessible
    Identify URL parameters or input fields that control the included file path (common names include 'page', 'file', 'path', 'template', or 'include'); test if these accept directory traversal sequences like '../'
    Affected if User-controlled input can be passed to include/require functions without sanitization
  5. Verify directory traversal is possible
    Attempt to access a known file via the suspected parameter (e.g., ?page=../../../../etc/passwd or ?file=../../config.php), observing if file contents are returned or included in the response
    Affected if The application returns contents of files outside the intended directory

A user is affected if the Anchor smooth scroll plugin is installed and contains dynamic include/require statements that accept unsanitized user input, allowing directory traversal to access arbitrary local files.

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 and whitelist-based filtering on any parameters used in include/require statements, ensuring only predefined, safe file paths can be included. Alternatively, refactor to avoid dynamic file inclusion entirely.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-60072 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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