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

CVE-2026-27334

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-05
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 dan_fisher Alchemists alchemists allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Alchemists: from n/a through <= 4.6.0.

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

A Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the dan_fisher Alchemists WordPress theme (versions up to 4.6.0) allows attackers to manipulate file inclusion paths in PHP include/require statements. This could enable reading sensitive server files or, in certain configurations, remote code execution.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using a whitelist approach for file inclusion paths, ensuring only permitted files can be included. Consider using basename() and realpath() to normalize and validate paths before inclusion.

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 Alchemists theme installation
    Check WordPress themes directory (wp-content/themes/) for the 'alchemists' theme folder, or view installed themes via WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes
    Affected if The 'alchemists' theme folder exists in the WordPress themes directory
  2. Determine installed theme version
    Open the theme's style.css file (wp-content/themes/alchemists/style.css) and locate the 'Version:' header in the file comment block. Compare the version number to 4.6.0
    Affected if The theme version is 4.6.0 or lower
  3. Identify vulnerable file inclusion code
    Search theme PHP files for dynamic include/require statements that use user-input parameters (e.g., grep for 'include($_GET' or 'require($_REQUEST' within wp-content/themes/alchemists/)
    Affected if PHP files contain include/require statements using unsanitized $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST variables to construct file paths
  4. Check for accessible file inclusion parameters
    Review theme files that handle template redirects or AJAX actions to identify which parameters control file inclusion, then test if these parameters are accessible via web requests
    Affected if Parameters controlling include/require are accessible via URL query strings or POST data without authentication or validation
  5. Inspect server access logs for exploitation attempts
    Review web server access logs (Apache error.log, Nginx access.log) for suspicious requests containing '../' or file path patterns in query parameters targeting theme files
    Affected if Logs show requests with directory traversal patterns (../) or direct file path attempts in parameters matching theme file inclusion functions

A user is affected if the Alchemists theme version is 4.6.0 or lower AND the theme contains dynamic file inclusion code accessible via web requests.

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 a whitelist approach for file inclusion paths, ensuring only permitted files can be included. Consider using basename() and realpath() to normalize and validate paths before inclusion.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2026-27334 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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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