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

CVE-2026-28098

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 Save Life save-life allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Save Life: from n/a through <= 1.2.13.

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 the ThemeREX Save Life theme (versions <=1.2.13) allows attackers to include arbitrary local PHP files via improper control of filename parameters in include/require statements. This stems from insufficient input validation on file path parameters, enabling directory traversal attacks.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest patched version of the Save Life theme that implements proper input validation and whitelisting for file inclusion paths. If no patch is available, implement web application firewall rules to block directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../) and restrict include/require statements to trusted paths only.

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 ThemeREX Save Life theme version
    Locate the theme's version identifier in the theme's style.css file (commonly in /wp-content/themes/save-life/) or in the theme's main PHP file. Look for a comment block containing 'Version:' or check the theme header in functions.php
    Affected if The installed version is 1.2.13 or lower, as versions up to and including 1.2.13 contain the vulnerability
  2. Compare your version against the affected range
    Compare the identified version number to the affected range. The theme maintainers typically increment versions with each release
    Affected if Your version number is less than or equal to 1.2.13 (for example, 1.2.12, 1.2.10, 1.0.5, etc.)
  3. Examine PHP include/require statements for unsanitized input
    Search the theme's PHP files for include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() statements that use variables directly in the file path without validation. Look for patterns like 'include($variable)' or 'require($_GET[...])' where the variable could contain path traversal sequences
    Affected if The theme contains include/require statements that accept user-controlled input without sanitization, enabling directory traversal (e.g., ../../) attacks
  4. Review file inclusion functions for path traversal vulnerability
    Inspect any theme PHP files that handle file path parameters (common in template loaders, component renderers, or widget includes). Verify whether the code validates or restricts the file path before passing it to include/require
    Affected if File inclusion code accepts paths containing '../' sequences or allows inclusion of files outside the intended theme directory
  5. Check web server access logs for exploitation attempts
    Review web server access logs (Apache access.log, Nginx access.log) for requests to pages using the theme that contain directory traversal patterns in query parameters, such as '../', '..\', or absolute path references
    Affected if Log entries show attempted directory traversal requests targeting the theme's file inclusion functionality

You are affected if your installed ThemeREX Save Life theme version is 1.2.13 or lower AND the theme's PHP code contains include/require statements that process user-supplied file path parameters without validation.

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

Upgrade to the latest patched version of the Save Life theme that implements proper input validation and whitelisting for file inclusion paths. If no patch is available, implement web application firewall rules to block directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../) and restrict include/require statements to trusted paths only.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2026-28098 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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