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

CVE-2026-22324

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-20
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 ThemeREX Melania allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Melania: from n/a through 2.5.0.

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 ThemeREX Melania WordPress theme up to version 2.5.0 contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability due to improper control of filenames in include/require statements. Attackers can exploit this to read sensitive files on the server by manipulating file path parameters, potentially exposing configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest version of ThemeREX Melania theme. If no patch is available, audit and sanitize all include/require statements to use allowlists or fixed paths, and disable remote file inclusion 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 installed theme version
    Locate the style.css file in wp-content/themes/melania/ and check the 'Version:' header in the file comments, or query the WordPress database in wp_options where option_name contains 'theme_mods_melania' or check via WordPress admin appearance section
    Affected if The version is 2.5.0 or any earlier version
  2. Locate include/require statements with variable paths
    Search the theme PHP files (particularly in the root and include/ folders) for include, include_once, require, or require_once statements that use variables or parameters in the file path, such as include($_GET['file']) or include($path . $_REQUEST['template'])
    Affected if Variable-based file includes are found that accept user input
  3. Identify the vulnerable parameter endpoint
    Examine the identified include/require code to determine which HTTP parameter (e.g., $_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST) controls the file path, and note which PHP file contains this code
    Affected if A parameter is found that accepts arbitrary file paths without validation
  4. Verify reachability of vulnerable code
    Check if the identified PHP file with the vulnerable include is accessible directly via web request and whether the vulnerable parameter is exposed in the URL or form
    Affected if The vulnerable file and parameter are web-accessible without authentication
  5. Test for LFI exploitation potential
    Attempt to include a known file using the vulnerable parameter (e.g., ?file=../../../../wp-config.php or similar path traversal), observing if the file contents are returned or executed
    Affected if File contents can be retrieved through path traversal or the parameter accepts absolute/relative file paths

You are affected if the ThemeREX Melania theme version is 2.5.0 or earlier AND the vulnerable PHP file with user-controlled include/require statements is accessible via the web.

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 the latest version of ThemeREX Melania theme. If no patch is available, audit and sanitize all include/require statements to use allowlists or fixed paths, and disable remote file inclusion in PHP configuration.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2026-22324 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • 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