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

CVE-2025-68540

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 thembay Fana fana allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Fana: from n/a through <= 1.1.35.

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 thembay Fana theme contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability where user-supplied input is used in include/require statements without proper validation. This allows attackers to read sensitive local files or potentially achieve code execution if they can control the included files.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using an allowlist approach for file inclusion parameters, and avoid using user input directly in include/require statements. If the affected version cannot be updated, consider disabling PHP execution in accessible directories and deploying a WAF rule to block traversal patterns.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/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 the installed Fana theme version
    Locate the theme's version file (typically version.php, style.css with version comment, or composer.json in the theme directory) and note the version number
    Affected if The installed version is lower than the patched version referenced in CVE-2025-68540 advisories
  2. Find PHP files using include/require with dynamic input
    Search the theme directory for PHP files containing 'include(' or 'require(' combined with $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST parameters (e.g., grep -r 'include.*\$_' or manually inspect PHP files in the theme root and subdirectories)
    Affected if User-supplied parameters are used directly in include/require statements without sanitization (e.g., include($_GET['file']);)
  3. Identify the vulnerable parameter name
    Examine the identified include/require statements to determine which GET/POST parameter controls the file path (common names include 'file', 'page', 'template', 'path', or 'lang')
    Affected if A parameter accepting file paths is processed without validation (e.g., allowlist or realpath() checks)
  4. Check if the file inclusion functionality is accessible
    Determine if the vulnerable PHP file can be accessed via HTTP/HTTPS requests (check web server routing, .htaccess rules, or whether the file requires admin authentication)
    Affected if The vulnerable code path is reachable without authentication or can be triggered by low-privilege users
  5. Test for LFI via the identified parameter
    If authorized in your own environment, attempt to include a safe test file (e.g., ?param=../../../../etc/passwd or ?param=config.php) to confirm the LFI behavior exists
    Affected if The application returns contents of files outside the intended directory or configuration files

You are affected if the Fana theme is installed with a version prior to the CVE-2025-68540 patch AND the vulnerable include/require pattern exists in accessible PHP files using unsanitized user 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

Implement strict input validation using an allowlist approach for file inclusion parameters, and avoid using user input directly in include/require statements. If the affected version cannot be updated, consider disabling PHP execution in accessible directories and deploying a WAF rule to block traversal patterns.

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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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-2025-68540 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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