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

CVE-2026-28053

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 Miller christine-miller allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Miller: from n/a through <= 1.3.3.

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 PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in ThemeREX Miller theme (christine-miller) versions through 1.3.3 allows remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements. This can lead to sensitive data exposure (e.g., configuration files, credentials) and potentially remote code execution if attacker-controlled files exist on the server.

MitigationImplement strict input validation and whitelist-based filtering on all file inclusion parameters, use basename() to strip directory traversal sequences, and avoid user-supplied input in include/require paths entirely.

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. Identify the installed theme and version
    Locate the christine-miller theme folder in wp-content/themes/ and check the style.css file header for the Version field
    Affected if The version listed is 1.3.3 or lower
  2. Verify the theme is active
    Check WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes to confirm christine-miller is activated
    Affected if The theme is installed and active on the WordPress site
  3. Search for vulnerable file inclusion patterns
    Examine PHP files in the theme directory for include/require statements that use variables from $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST without proper sanitization
    Affected if The theme code contains dynamic file inclusion using user-supplied input parameters
  4. Inspect common LFI entry points
    Review PHP files for parameters like 'file', 'path', 'page', 'template', or 'include' that are used in include/require/require_once/require_once calls
    Affected if Such parameters exist and accept path values without validation
  5. Check for path traversal mitigation
    Review the theme code to see if file inclusion functions sanitize or block '../' sequences and restrict included files to expected directories
    Affected if No such sanitization is present or it can be bypassed

A site is affected if the christine-miller theme version is 1.3.3 or lower and the theme contains file inclusion code using unsanitized user-controlled input parameters.

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 and whitelist-based filtering on all file inclusion parameters, use basename() to strip directory traversal sequences, and avoid user-supplied input in include/require paths entirely.

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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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-2026-28053 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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