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

CVE-2025-69100

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-22
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 fuelthemes North north-wp allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects North: from n/a through <= 5.7.5.

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 North WordPress theme by fuelthemes contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability allowing attackers to include arbitrary files from the server, potentially leading to remote code execution. This improper control of filename for include/require statements in PHP stems from insufficient input validation on file path parameters.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of the North theme (if available) or implement strict input validation/sanitization on all file inclusion parameters to prevent path traversal. Consider disabling allow_url_include in PHP configuration.

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 North theme installation and version
    Check the theme's style.css file in wp-content/themes/north/ for the 'Version:' header, or inspect the theme via WordPress Admin > Appearance > Themes
    Affected if The North theme by fuelthemes is active and the version falls within any known vulnerable range (if version info is unavailable, assume potentially affected)
  2. Locate file inclusion code paths
    Search theme PHP files (commonly functions.php, template files, or any file handling request parameters) for include, include_once, require, or require_once statements that use variables/parameters without sanitization
    Affected if The theme contains file inclusion functions using unsanitized user input (e.g., $_GET, $_POST, or similar superglobals) for file paths
  3. Verify vulnerable parameter exposure
    Review theme files for parameters that accept file paths or names (such as 'file', 'path', 'template', 'slug', or similar) and are passed directly to include/require without validation like basename() or realpath()
    Affected if Parameters accepting file paths are directly used in inclusion functions without validation, allowing path traversal (e.g., ../../) or arbitrary file inclusion
  4. Check web server access to sensitive files
    Confirm that the web server process has read access to sensitive files outside the web root (e.g., /etc/passwd, configuration files) that could be included if the LFI is exploitable
    Affected if The web server user can read sensitive system or configuration files that could be included via the LFI vulnerability
  5. Test for path traversal capability
    If the vulnerable parameter is accessible via HTTP request (GET/POST), attempt a test request with a path like ../../../../etc/passwd or ../../wp-config.php to see if file contents are returned
    Affected if The vulnerable parameter returns contents of files outside the intended theme directory, confirming the LFI is exploitable

If the North theme is installed and contains file inclusion logic using unsanitized user-supplied path parameters accessible via web requests, the environment is likely affected by CVE-2025-69100.

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

Upgrade to a patched version of the North theme (if available) or implement strict input validation/sanitization on all file inclusion parameters to prevent path traversal. Consider disabling allow_url_include in PHP configuration.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-69100 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-69100 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data