Cyber Posture

CVE-2026-22381

High

Published: 20 February 2026

Published
20 February 2026
Modified
15 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 0.0017 38.1th 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 Mikado-Themes PawFriends - Pet Shop and Veterinary WordPress Theme pawfriends allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects PawFriends - Pet Shop and Veterinary WordPress…

more

Theme: from n/a through <= 1.3.

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly remediates the specific PHP Local File Inclusion flaw in the PawFriends WordPress theme by identifying, patching, and updating vulnerable versions through 1.3.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Validates user-supplied filenames for PHP include/require statements to block path traversal and unauthorized local file access exploited in this CVE.

SI-9 Information Input Restrictions good match
prevent

Restricts inputs to PHP file inclusion functions to whitelisted safe filenames or paths, preventing attackers from specifying arbitrary local files.

Security SummaryAI

CVE-2026-22381 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, classified under CWE-98 and described as enabling PHP Local File Inclusion, in the PawFriends - Pet Shop and Veterinary WordPress Theme developed by Mikado-Themes. The issue affects all versions of the theme from unknown initial release through 1.3 inclusive. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (High), reflecting network accessibility, high attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and high impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network. Exploitation requires high complexity but no privileges or user interaction, potentially allowing attackers to include and execute local files on the server, leading to unauthorized access, data disclosure, modification, or denial of service consistent with the high CVSS impacts.

The Patchstack advisory provides details on this vulnerability in PawFriends theme version 1.3 and related mitigation guidance.

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 →
T1005 Data from Local System Collection
Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

LFI vulnerability in public-facing WordPress theme enables exploitation of public-facing application (T1190) for arbitrary local file inclusion, facilitating data collection from local system (T1005) and disclosure of unsecured credentials in files like wp-config.php (T1552.001).

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

References