CVE-2026-28081
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 · uneditedImproper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in ThemeREX Windsor windsor allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Windsor: from n/a through <= 2.5.0.
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 confidenceLocal File Inclusion vulnerability in ThemeREX Windsor theme versions <= 2.5.0 allows attackers to include arbitrary PHP files from the server filesystem via improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements, potentially leading to remote code execution.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate the ThemeREX Windsor theme installationCheck your WordPress wp-content/themes directory for a folder named 'trx_windsor', 'windsor', or similar ThemeREX Windsor theme folder. Also check wp-content/themes/ for any theme with 'windsor' in the name.Affected if The ThemeREX Windsor theme is present in the themes directory.
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Identify the installed theme versionOpen the theme's style.css file (usually at wp-content/themes/[windsor-folder]/style.css) and look for the 'Version:' header in the CSS comment block at the top.Affected if The version listed is 2.5.0 or lower.
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Locate PHP files using include or require with dynamic pathsSearch the theme folder for PHP files containing include, include_once, require, or require_once statements that use variables in the file path (e.g., include($some_var), require($_GET['file']). Look for patterns like include($_REQUEST[...]).Affected if The theme contains PHP include/require statements that use unsanitized user input (GET, POST, or REQUEST parameters) in the file path.
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Identify the vulnerable parameterExamine the include/require statements found in the previous step. Note which user-supplied parameter (typically from $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST) controls the file path being included.Affected if A user-controlled parameter directly specifies or influences the filename in an include/require statement without proper sanitization or validation.
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Test for path traversal capabilityIf the vulnerable parameter is accessible via URL (e.g., ?file=../../../../), attempt a safe test by including a known harmless file to verify if path traversal works. For example, try including a standard WordPress file like ../../../wp-config.php.Affected if The application allows path traversal (using ../ sequences) to access files outside the theme directory.
You are affected if the ThemeREX Windsor theme version is 2.5.0 or lower AND the theme contains PHP include/require statements that use unsanitized user input to control which files are loaded.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate Windsor theme to the latest patched version; if unavailable, implement input validation/sanitization on file inclusion parameters and deploy WAF rules to block directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../../).
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28081 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-28081 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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