Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-22509

High

Published: 08 January 2026

Published
08 January 2026
Modified
27 April 2026
KEV Added
—
Patch
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CVSS Score v3.1 8.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0051 39.6th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-22509 is a high-severity PHP Remote File Inclusion (CWE-98) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 39.6th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).

Deeper analysis

CVE-2025-22509 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, known as PHP Remote File Inclusion, that enables PHP Local File Inclusion in the TMRW-studio Atlas WordPress theme. This flaw, tied to CWE-98, affects Atlas versions from n/a through 2.1.0 and was published on 2026-01-08.

The vulnerability can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers (PR:N) over the network (AV:N) without requiring user interaction (UI:N), though it demands high attack complexity (AC:H) and results in unchanged scope (S:U). Successful exploitation yields high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), earning a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 and potentially allowing attackers to read or include arbitrary local files, leading to information disclosure or code execution.

Patchstack's advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/atlas/vulnerability/wordpress-atlas-theme-2-1-0-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve provides details on this Local File Inclusion issue in the WordPress Atlas theme version 2.1.0, including mitigation guidance for affected deployments.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in TMRW-studio Atlas atlas allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Atlas: from n/a through <= 2.1.0.

CWE(s)
CWE-98

Related Threats

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 →
Why these techniques?

LFI in public-facing WordPress theme enables unauthenticated remote exploitation (T1190) and arbitrary local file reads for sensitive data disclosure (T1005).

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-60057Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-58940Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22476Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-67980Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-69034Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-58225Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22427Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-69402Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-64205Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28013Shared CWE-98

Affected Assets

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly remediates the PHP Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the Atlas WordPress theme by requiring identification, testing, and installation of patches or updates beyond version 2.1.0.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Validates filenames and paths used in PHP include/require statements to prevent attackers from supplying malicious inputs that enable local file inclusion.

CM-6 Configuration Settings partial match
prevent

Enforces secure PHP configuration settings like open_basedir restrictions and disabling allow_url_include to limit the scope and impact of local file inclusion exploits.

References