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

CVE-2026-28041

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 AncoraThemes Grit grit allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Grit: from n/a through <= 1.0.1.

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

The AncoraThemes Grit theme (version <= 1.0.1) contains a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability due to improper control of filenames used in include/require statements. An attacker can manipulate the file path parameter to include arbitrary PHP files from the local server, potentially executing malicious code or accessing sensitive configuration files.

MitigationImplement strict input validation using whitelist-based approaches for file paths, employ basename() and realpath() functions to normalize and validate paths, and disable allow_url_include to prevent remote file 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. Check Grit theme version
    Locate the theme's style.css file (typically in /wp-content/themes/grit/) and inspect the theme header comment for the 'Version:' field. Alternatively, search functions.php for a version constant definition.
    Affected if The reported version is 1.0.1 or lower
  2. Identify LFI-vulnerable include patterns
    Search all PHP files within the theme directory for include/require statements that use unsanitized variables, particularly $_GET or $_POST parameters in the file path. Use grep or manually inspect files that handle file loading functionality.
    Affected if Any PHP file contains include/require statements that incorporate user-supplied input directly into the file path without validation (e.g., include($_GET['file']);)
  3. Locate the exploitable parameter handler
    Identify PHP files that accept a file path parameter (commonly named 'file', 'path', 'page', 'template', or similar) and pass it to include/require. Examine the request handling logic in the theme.
    Affected if A parameter accepting file paths is processed and passed to an include/require function without using basename(), realpath(), or whitelist validation
  4. Test for LFI via HTTP request
    Send a crafted request with a benign file path (e.g., ?file=../../../../wp-config.php or ?file=../../../../../etc/passwd) to PHP files in the theme directory that accept file parameters. Observe if the file contents are returned.
    Affected if The server returns the contents of files outside the theme directory, confirming the LFI vulnerability is exploitable

You are affected if the Grit theme version is 1.0.1 or lower AND the theme contains PHP files with include/require statements that accept unsanitized file path parameters from user input.

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 whitelist-based approaches for file paths, employ basename() and realpath() functions to normalize and validate paths, and disable allow_url_include to prevent remote file inclusion.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-28041 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.

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