Cyber Posture

CVE-2025-49359

High

Published: 18 December 2025

Published
18 December 2025
Modified
27 April 2026
KEV Added
—
Patch
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CVSS Score 8.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0022 44.7th percentile
Risk Priority 16 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Description

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in AncoraThemes ShieldGroup shieldgroup allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects ShieldGroup: from n/a through <= 2.13.

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly mitigates CVE-2025-49359 by requiring timely patching or updating of the vulnerable ShieldGroup WordPress theme versions through 2.13.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Prevents exploitation of the PHP Local File Inclusion by validating and sanitizing user-supplied filenames used in include/require statements.

CM-6 Configuration Settings partial match
prevent

Enforces secure PHP configuration settings like open_basedir or disable_functions to restrict file access and limit the scope of local file inclusion attacks.

Security SummaryAI

CVE-2025-49359 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement vulnerability, classified as PHP Remote File Inclusion but enabling PHP Local File Inclusion (CWE-98), in the ShieldGroup WordPress theme developed by AncoraThemes. This flaw affects ShieldGroup versions from n/a through 2.13 inclusive.

The vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers over the network (AV:N) with no required privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), though it demands high attack complexity (AC:H). Successful exploitation results in high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1, potentially allowing attackers to include and execute local PHP files on the server.

Mitigation details are available in the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/shieldgroup/vulnerability/wordpress-shieldgroup-theme-2-13-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve. The vulnerability was published on 2025-12-18.

Details

CWE(s)
CWE-98

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

The vulnerability is an LFI in a public-facing WordPress theme, exploitable remotely without privileges to include and execute local PHP files, directly enabling T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

References