CVE-2026-22381
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 Mikado-Themes PawFriends - Pet Shop and Veterinary WordPress Theme pawfriends allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects PawFriends - Pet Shop and Veterinary WordPress Theme: from n/a through <= 1.3.
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 · high confidenceLocal File Inclusion vulnerability in the Mikato-Themes PawFriends WordPress theme allows attackers to include arbitrary PHP files from the server through improper input validation in include/require statements, potentially leading to remote code execution.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate PawFriends theme directoryCheck wp-content/themes/ folder for a folder named 'pawfriends', 'PawFriends', or similar variant used by Mikato-ThemesAffected if The PawFriends theme directory exists in the WordPress themes folder
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Identify installed theme versionOpen the theme's style.css file (usually at wp-content/themes/pawfriends/style.css) and look for the 'Version:' header in the comment block at the topAffected if The version number is lower than the patched version or cannot be determined (unknown version)
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Check for vulnerable include/require patternsSearch theme PHP files (especially in includes/ or functions/ subdirectories) for include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() calls that use variables (e.g., include($file), include($_GET['path'])) without sanitizationAffected if Any include/require statement uses unsanitized request parameters or user-controllable variables
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Inspect the main entry point filesExamine files like index.php, functions.php, or any file handling template includes in the theme folder for direct use of $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST variables in include/require statementsAffected if Theme files directly use request variables in file inclusion functions without validation
You are affected if the PawFriends theme is installed and contains vulnerable include/require code patterns that use unsanitized user input, regardless of version status.
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 dataUpdate the PawFriends theme to a patched version immediately; if no patch exists, disable the theme and replace with a secure alternative, then audit the filesystem for any existing compromise.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-22381 — 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-2026-22381 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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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.
- 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