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

CVE-2026-22502

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-25
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 AncoraThemes Mr. Cobbler mr-cobbler allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Mr. Cobbler: from n/a through <= 1.1.9.

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 (LFI) vulnerability exists in the Mr. Cobbler theme by AncoraThemes. The vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate file inclusion paths to read sensitive local files or potentially execute arbitrary PHP code. With a CVSS score of 8.1 (HIGH), this represents a significant security risk.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using whitelisting for allowed files, sanitize file inclusion paths with basename() and realpath() functions, and ensure allow_url_include is disabled 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. Confirm Mr. Cobbler theme installation
    Locate the theme files in your WordPress installation under wp-content/themes/ and verify the directory named 'mr-cobbler' or 'mr_cobbler' exists
    Affected if The theme directory is present in the themes folder
  2. Identify the theme version
    Open the theme's style.css file (wp-content/themes/mr-cobbler/style.css) and locate the 'Version:' header in the comment block at the top
    Affected if The version listed cannot be confirmed as patched or is earlier than any vendor-provided fixed version
  3. Inspect file inclusion functions
    Search theme PHP files (particularly functions.php, header.php, footer.php, and any template files) for include, include_once, require, or require_once statements that use variables in the path without proper sanitization (e.g., include($template) or include($_GET['page']))
    Affected if Unsanitized variable-based file inclusions are found that accept user input
  4. Check for vulnerable LFI parameters
    Review URL parameters used in theme templates - look for parameters like 'file', 'page', 'template', 'path', or 'include' that are passed to file inclusion functions without basename() or realpath() validation
    Affected if Parameters that control file inclusion paths are accessible via GET/POST and not properly validated

Your environment is affected if the Mr. Cobbler theme by AncoraThemes is installed and contains unsanitized file inclusion logic that allows manipulation of file paths through HTTP parameters.

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 using whitelisting for allowed files, sanitize file inclusion paths with basename() and realpath() functions, and ensure allow_url_include is disabled in PHP configuration.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation5.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-22502 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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