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

CVE-2026-28043

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 →
100/100
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 Healer - Doctor, Clinic & Medical WordPress Theme healer allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Healer - Doctor, Clinic & Medical WordPress Theme: from n/a through <= 1.0.0.

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 Remote/Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the ThemeREX Healer WordPress theme allows attackers to include arbitrary PHP files through improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements. This can lead to remote code execution on the affected server.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of the theme if available, or remediate by implementing strict input validation and whitelist-based filtering on all include/require statements in the theme's PHP 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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 Healer theme is installed
    Navigate to wp-content/themes/ directory and check for a folder named 'themex-healer' or similar ThemeREX theme folders. In WordPress admin, go to Appearance > Themes to list installed themes.
    Affected if ThemeREX Healer theme is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify the installed theme version
    Check the theme's style.css file in the theme folder for the 'Version:' header, or check theme.php for a version constant. Common path: wp-content/themes/themex-healer/style.css
    Affected if The version number is lower than the patched version (contact theme vendor for specific version) or version cannot be determined
  3. Locate vulnerable include/require statements
    Search PHP files in the theme folder for include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() statements that use variables in the file path without validation. Example pattern: include($some_variable); Review files in include/ or similar directories within the theme.
    Affected if Any include/require statement uses unsanitized variable input for file paths
  4. Check for user-controlled input reaching file inclusion
    Examine PHP files that handle HTTP parameters (GET/POST/REQUEST) and trace whether those values flow into include/require statements. Look for patterns like: $file = $_GET['file']; include($file);
    Affected if User-supplied parameters are directly or indirectly used in include/require statements without validation
  5. Test if file inclusion is exploitable
    If vulnerable code paths exist, attempt a controlled test including a known file (e.g., ../../../../wp-config.php to test LFI, or a remote URL if allow_url_include is enabled for RFI). Only do this in non-production environments with authorization.
    Affected if The application includes files based on user input without strict validation, allowing arbitrary file inclusion

The environment is affected if ThemeREX Healer theme is installed AND contains include/require statements that accept unsanitized user input for file paths.

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 theme if available, or remediate by implementing strict input validation and whitelist-based filtering on all include/require statements in the theme's PHP files.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2026-28043 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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