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

CVE-2026-32500

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-25
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 CreativeWS MetaMax metamax allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects MetaMax: from n/a through <= 1.1.4.

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 Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability exists in CreativeWS MetaMax version 1.1.4 and prior. The application improperly handles filenames in PHP include/require statements, allowing attackers to manipulate file paths and potentially execute arbitrary PHP code from the local server.

MitigationImplement strict input validation and sanitization on all parameters used in include/require statements. Use allowlists for permitted files and paths rather than accepting user-supplied filenames directly.

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. Locate CreativeWS MetaMax installation
    Search the web server document root for files named 'metamax', 'index.php', or directories containing 'MetaMax' in the name. Common paths include /var/www/html/, /www/, or C:\inetpub\wwwroot\
    Affected if The application files are present on the server
  2. Determine installed version
    Open the main PHP file (index.php) or look for a version.php, config.php, or readme.txt file within the application directory. Search for a version string or constant definition (e.g., '$version = "1.1.4"')
    Affected if The discovered version is 1.1.4 or any version prior to it
  3. Identify include/require usage in PHP files
    Grep or search all PHP files in the application for 'include', 'require', 'include_once', or 'require_once' statements that reference variables (e.g., include($page), require($_GET['file']))
    Affected if User-supplied parameters (GET, POST, COOKIE) are used directly in include or require statements without validation
  4. Check if vulnerable parameter is accessible
    Test the identified parameter by requesting a URL with a manipulated path (e.g., ?page=../../config.php or ?file=/etc/passwd). Observe if the server returns the contents of the targeted file
    Affected if The application returns file contents from paths outside the intended directory, confirming LFI is exploitable

The environment is affected if CreativeWS MetaMax version 1.1.4 or prior is installed and PHP files contain include/require statements using unsanitized user input that can be manipulated to access arbitrary local files.

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 sanitization on all parameters used in include/require statements. Use allowlists for permitted files and paths rather than accepting user-supplied filenames directly.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-32500 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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