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

CVE-2026-28039

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 wpDataTables wpDataTables wpdatatables allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects wpDataTables: from n/a through <= 6.5.0.1.

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 wpDataTables WordPress plugin allows attackers to manipulate file inclusion paths via insecure use of user-supplied input in PHP include/require statements. This can enable remote code execution by including malicious local PHP files.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available; until then, disable the wpDataTables plugin or restrict access to administrative users only. Implement web application firewall rules to block requests with directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../).

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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. Verify wpDataTables plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for wpDataTables in the list. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a wpdatatables folder.
    Affected if wpDataTables plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Determine installed wpDataTables version
    In WordPress admin, find wpDataTables in Plugins > Installed Plugins and note the version number displayed. If not visible there, check the main plugin file (wpdatatables.php) in /wp-content/plugins/wpdatatables/ for the 'Version' comment header.
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within any vulnerable version range (compare against known affected versions for this CVE)
  3. Identify vulnerable file inclusion endpoint
    Review the wpDataTables plugin files for code using include, require, include_once, or require_once with user-supplied input (typically $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST parameters). Common patterns include parameters named 'table', 'file', 'path', 'page', or similar that accept file paths.
    Affected if The plugin contains code that passes user input directly to PHP include/require statements without sanitization
  4. Check for exposure of vulnerable functionality
    Determine if the vulnerable code is accessible to unauthenticated users. Review the plugin code around the file inclusion logic to see if it is wrapped in authentication checks (like current_user_can or is_admin). Test by accessing suspected endpoints with no authentication.
    Affected if The file inclusion functionality is accessible to users without administrative privileges
  5. Inspect web server logs for exploitation attempts
    Search access logs (typically in /var/log/nginx/ or /var/log/apache2/) for requests containing directory traversal patterns such as ../, ..\, or absolute paths like /etc/passwd sent to wpDataTables-related URLs.
    Affected if Log entries show directory traversal requests targeting wpDataTables endpoints, indicating possible exploitation attempts

You are affected if wpDataTables is installed with a vulnerable version where unauthenticated users can manipulate file inclusion paths through user-supplied input in the plugin.

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

Apply the vendor patch when available; until then, disable the wpDataTables plugin or restrict access to administrative users only. Implement web application firewall rules to block requests with directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../).

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2026-28039 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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