CVE-2025-14502
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-14502 is a critical-severity PHP Remote File Inclusion (CWE-98) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 31% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-14502 is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability, classified under CWE-98, affecting the News and Blog Designer Bundle plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 1.1. The flaw occurs via the "template" parameter, which enables the inclusion and execution of arbitrary .php files on the server. Published on 2026-01-14, it carries a critical CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. Exploitation allows execution of PHP code from included files, enabling attackers to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve remote code execution in scenarios where .php files can be uploaded and subsequently included.
Advisories, including the Wordfence threat intelligence report at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e02683dc-0771-4bd5-bba3-2b5423da1c80?source=cve, provide additional details on the issue. The vulnerable code is located at line 31 in the plugin's class-nbdb-ajax.php file, as shown in the WordPress plugin trac repository at https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/news-and-blog-designer-bundle/trunk/includes/class-nbdb-ajax.php#L31.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2542
Vulnerability Data
The News and Blog Designer Bundle plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.1 via the template parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include and execute arbitrary .php…
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files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and static analysis can discover missing filename restrictions before deployment.
Validating all inputs before they reach include/require statements directly stops untrusted filenames from being used.
Enforcing access authorizations on resources limits what an included file can reach even if a bad name is supplied.
Information-flow rules can block the loading of external or unauthorized files into the PHP process.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices such as input validation and allow-listing of include paths directly prevent the weakness.
Hardened runtime configuration (e.g., allow_url_include=off) directly blocks RFI even if code is flawed.
Execution restrictions can prevent the remote payload from running, while eliminating the weakness reduces the need for such controls.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect RFI but does not prevent the weakness by itself.
Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and safe include/require patterns that directly prevent remote file inclusion.
Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection and unsafe file operations.
Secure architecture principles reduce attack surface but do not specifically address dynamic file inclusion.
Secure coding standards directly require whitelisting and sanitization of filenames used in include/require statements.
Information access restriction limits what files can be read but does not address dynamic inclusion logic.