CVE-2025-68985
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 · uneditedImproper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in thembay Aora aora allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Aora: from n/a through <= 1.3.15.
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 confidenceThe thembay Aora WordPress theme <= 1.3.15 contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability where user-supplied input is improperly used in include/require statements without adequate validation. An attacker can manipulate the input to include arbitrary local files from the server, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files, credentials, or source code.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if the Aora theme is installedLocate the theme directory in the WordPress installation (wp-content/themes/) and check for a folder named 'aora' or 'thembay-aora'. Check the style.css file within the theme folder for the 'Version:' header.Affected if The Aora theme is present in the WordPress themes directory.
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Determine the installed theme versionOpen the style.css file in the Aora theme folder and read the Version: value from the file header comment.Affected if The version number is 1.3.15 or lower.
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Locate PHP files that perform dynamic includesSearch within the theme folder for PHP files containing include, require, include_once, or require_once statements where variables are used directly in the path (e.g., include($var), require($_GET[...])).Affected if PHP files in the theme use user-supplied input (GET, POST, REQUEST parameters) directly in include/require statements without validation.
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Verify the vulnerable parameter is accessibleExamine the identified include/require files to determine which URL parameters control the file inclusion. Test accessing the affected page with modified parameter values to confirm the parameter is not sanitized.Affected if The parameter controlling the include statement accepts arbitrary file paths without sanitization (e.g., no basename() wrapping, no allowlist validation).
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Check for signs of exploitation in logsReview web server access logs and error logs for suspicious requests to the vulnerable endpoint, particularly patterns like '../' directory traversal sequences or attempts to include sensitive files (e.g., wp-config.php).
You are affected if the Aora theme version is 1.3.15 or lower and your installation contains PHP files that use user input directly in include/require statements without sanitization.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataImplement strict input validation using allowlists or basename() functions, avoid using user input directly in include/require statements, and disable allow_url_include in PHP configuration. Update the theme to the latest patched version if available.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-68985 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-68985 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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