CVE-2026-28009
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 ThemeREX DroneX dronex allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects DroneX: from n/a through <= 1.1.12.
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 confidenceA Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in ThemeREX DroneX theme allows attackers to manipulate file inclusion functions (include/require) to access unauthorized local files. This occurs due to improper control of filenames in PHP include/require statements, potentially exposing sensitive system files.
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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Identify if ThemeREX DroneX theme is installedCheck your WordPress theme directory (wp-content/themes/) for a folder named 'dronex' or 'dronix'. You can also check via WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes.Affected if The DroneX theme folder exists in your WordPress themes directory.
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Determine the installed DroneX theme versionCheck the style.css file inside the DroneX theme folder for the 'Version:' comment in the file header, or look for a version.php/changelog file if present. Compare this version to any officially listed affected versions.Affected if The installed version falls within the range of affected versions or is unlisted/older than patched releases.
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Locate PHP file inclusion code in the themeSearch the theme folder for PHP files containing include, require, include_once, or require_once statements that use variables in the file path (e.g., include($_GET['file']); or require($file);). Use grep or manually inspect PHP files in the theme root and subdirectories.Affected if File inclusion code exists that uses unsanitized variables from user input (GET, POST, or REQUEST parameters) as part of the file path.
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Inspect file inclusion parameters for input validationExamine the code around the vulnerable include/require calls to determine if the user-supplied parameter undergoes validation such as basename(), whitelist checks, or regex filtering before use.Affected if No input validation (or only weak validation like str_replace) is applied to the file path parameter before it reaches the include/require statement.
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Check if the vulnerable parameter is accessibleDetermine whether the file inclusion parameter can be controlled via HTTP requests (URL parameters) by examining if the theme exposes any templates or AJAX handlers that pass URL parameters to include/require functions.Affected if The file inclusion parameter can be controlled through HTTP requests without authentication.
You are affected if the ThemeREX DroneX theme is installed, contains file inclusion code using unsanitized user input, and that input is directly controllable via HTTP parameters.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of DroneX; if unavailable, implement strict input validation using whitelist approaches or basename() functions on all file inclusion parameters, and disable allow_url_include in PHP configuration.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28009 — 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-2026-28009 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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