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

CVE-2026-28015

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 ThemeREX ShiftCV shift-cv allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects ShiftCV: from n/a through <= 3.0.14.

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 confidence

The ThemeREX ShiftCV WordPress theme contains a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in its PHP include/require statements. Attackers can manipulate filename parameters to include arbitrary local PHP files, potentially leading to code execution.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of the ShiftCV theme, or implement strict input validation and whitelist-based controls on all file inclusion functions to prevent path traversal.

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 ThemeREX ShiftCV theme is installed
    Navigate to WordPress dashboard > Appearance > Themes, or inspect wp-content/themes directory for the shiftcv theme folder
    Affected if The ThemeREX ShiftCV theme is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify installed theme version
    Check theme style.css header for Version field, or look for version constant in theme functions.php file
    Affected if Version cannot be verified or differs from latest patched release
  3. Locate vulnerable include/require patterns
    Search theme PHP files for dynamic file inclusion using variables in include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() without proper sanitization - look for patterns like include($something) or require($_GET[...])
    Affected if Theme files contain dynamic file inclusion that uses external input without validation
  4. Inspect for vulnerable file parameter
    Review theme code for parameters that could control file paths (common names: file, page, template, include, path) passed via GET/POST requests
    Affected if Any theme parameter accepts user input and uses it in include/require statements without validation
  5. Review server access logs
    Check Apache/nginx access logs for suspicious requests to theme files with unusual file path parameters (e.g., ?file=../../etc/passwd or ?page=phpinfo)
    Affected if Logs show attempts to include files outside the theme directory
  6. Test for LFI in theme endpoints
    If theme exposes any pages using file inclusion, test with safe payloads like /etc/passwd or ../wp-config.php to verify vulnerability exists
    Affected if Theme allows reading arbitrary local files through URL parameters

User is affected if ThemeREX ShiftCV theme is installed and contains dynamic file inclusion using unsanitized user input in include/require statements

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

Update to a patched version of the ShiftCV theme, or implement strict input validation and whitelist-based controls on all file inclusion functions to prevent path traversal.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28015 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-28015 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • 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