CVE-2026-28117
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 axiomthemes smart SEO smartSEO allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects smart SEO: from n/a through <= 2.9.
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 the smartSEO plugin allows attackers to include arbitrary local files through improper control of filename parameters in PHP include/require statements, potentially exposing sensitive system 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
- 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 smartSEO plugin installationCheck your content management system's plugin directory for the smartSEO plugin folder. Common paths include /wp-content/plugins/smartseo/ for WordPress or similar paths in other CMS platforms.Affected if The smartSEO plugin folder exists in the system
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Identify installed smartSEO versionOpen the main plugin file (often named smartseo.php or similar) and locate the version declaration in the file header comments, or check a version/config file if one exists.Affected if The reported version is 2.9 or lower
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Verify plugin is activeCheck the CMS admin panel or database for plugin activation status. For WordPress, inspect the wp_options table for active_plugins entry.Affected if The smartSEO plugin is currently enabled on the site
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Inspect PHP include/require usageSearch plugin PHP files for include, include_once, require, or require_once statements that use variables for file paths without proper sanitization (e.g., include($file), require($_GET['param']).Affected if Unsanitized file inclusion functions are found using dynamic variable input
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Test vulnerable parameter accessIf the plugin exposes any HTTP-accessible parameters that feed into file inclusion functions, attempt a controlled test request with a benign file path (e.g., ../../../../etc/passwd or ../../wp-config.php).Affected if The application returns file contents from outside the intended directory
If smartSEO version 2.9 or lower is installed and active with accessible file inclusion endpoints, the environment is affected by this LFI vulnerability.
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 dataUpgrade smartSEO to a version beyond 2.9 that contains the patched code, or disable the plugin until a fixed version is available.
- Consultation2.0 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 $2,848.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-28117 — 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-2026-28117 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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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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data