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

CVE-2026-22344

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-20
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 Mikado-Themes FiveStar fivestar allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects FiveStar: from n/a through <= 1.7.

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

A PHP Local File Inclusion vulnerability exists in the FiveStar theme where user-supplied input is not properly validated before being used in PHP include/require statements. This allows attackers to include arbitrary local PHP files, potentially leading to remote code execution if they can upload malicious files or access sensitive system files.

MitigationImplement strict input validation and allowlisting for file inclusion paths; upgrade to a patched version when available; disable PHP execution in upload directories; consider deploying a WAF rule to detect and block directory traversal attempts.

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 FiveStar theme is installed
    Search for theme files: look for directories named 'fivestar', 'FiveStar', or 'fivestar-theme' in web root themes folder (commonly /wp-content/themes/ for WordPress or similar paths for other CMS). Check theme's style.css or theme.json for theme name metadata.
    Affected if The FiveStar theme directory exists on the server.
  2. Determine FiveStar theme version
    Locate the theme's version file, style.css header, or theme.json where version is typically defined. Compare the found version against any release notes or changelogs for the theme.
    Affected if The installed version is older than the patched version (check vendor advisories for exact version numbers).
  3. Identify file inclusion endpoints
    Search theme source code for PHP include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use variables in the path (e.g., include($_GET['page']). Look for parameters that accept file paths in HTTP requests.
    Affected if The code contains file inclusion using unsanitized user input without proper path validation.
  4. Check for accessible upload directories
    Review web server configuration and theme settings to identify upload directories (commonly /uploads/, /files/, /attachments/). Verify if PHP files can be uploaded and are executable from these directories.
    Affected if PHP execution is enabled in upload directories, allowing uploaded malicious PHP files to be executed.
  5. Test for directory traversal vulnerability
    If file inclusion parameters are found, attempt safe reconnaissance: review server logs for any anomalous include/require requests with '../' sequences, or use a web application scanner to test for LFI. Do not perform active exploitation.
    Affected if The application allows directory traversal sequences (../) in file inclusion parameters without proper sanitization.

You are affected if the FiveStar theme is installed, contains file inclusion code using unsanitized user input, and the upload directories allow PHP execution, enabling remote code execution via uploaded malicious 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 allowlisting for file inclusion paths; upgrade to a patched version when available; disable PHP execution in upload directories; consider deploying a WAF rule to detect and block directory traversal attempts.

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
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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-2026-22344 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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