Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-23948

High

Published: 22 January 2025

Published
22 January 2025
Modified
23 April 2026
KEV Added
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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 0.0126 79.8th percentile
Risk Priority 17 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2025-23948 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 in the top 20.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation).

Deeper analysis

The vulnerability is a PHP Local File Inclusion issue, tracked as CWE-98, in the Background animation blocks WordPress plugin. It stems from improper control of filenames in include/require statements and affects all versions through 2.1.5. The flaw received a CVSS 8.1 rating reflecting network attack vectors with high complexity but no required privileges or user interaction.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply crafted input to force inclusion of arbitrary local PHP files on the server. Successful exploitation can yield full control over the affected site, including disclosure or modification of sensitive data and potential arbitrary code execution.

The public advisory published via Patchstack identifies the affected plugin versions and links the issue directly to the Local File Inclusion class of flaws, indicating that site operators should apply the vendor-supplied update that resolves the vulnerability. The associated EPSS score remains low, with only a modest peak of 0.0214.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in Webarea Background animation blocks background-animation-blocks allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Background animation blocks: from n/a through <= 2.1.5.

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?

The CVE describes a remote/local file inclusion vulnerability in a public-facing WordPress plugin, directly enabling exploitation of public-facing applications (T1190) and unauthorized access to data from local system files (T1005).

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-68537Shared CWE-98
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CVE-2026-28048Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22516Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28120Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-67992Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-31432Shared CWE-98
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CVE-2025-26957Shared CWE-98

Affected Assets

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly requires timely identification, reporting, and correction of known flaws like this PHP Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the Background animation blocks WordPress plugin.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Enforces validation of information inputs, such as filenames supplied to PHP include/require statements, to block malicious local file inclusion attempts.

RA-5 Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning good match
detect

Provides vulnerability scanning to identify and report instances of CVE-2025-23948 in WordPress plugins, enabling remediation before exploitation.

References