CVE-2025-28916
Published: 26 March 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-28916 is a critical-severity PHP Remote File Inclusion (CWE-98) vulnerability. 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 27.4% 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 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Remediating the flaw in the Docpro WordPress plugin directly eliminates the PHP Local File Inclusion vulnerability across all affected versions.
Validating filenames supplied to PHP include/require statements prevents attackers from injecting malicious local file paths.
Boundary protection with web application firewalls blocks network requests containing path traversal payloads exploiting the file inclusion flaw.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The CVE describes an unauthenticated remote LFI vulnerability in a public-facing WordPress plugin that leads to server compromise, directly enabling exploitation of public-facing applications (T1190) and facilitating command/script execution via included PHP files on Unix-based servers (T1059.004).
NVD Description
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in Rashid Docpro docpro allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Docpro: from n/a through <= 2.0.1.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-28916 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, referred to as PHP Remote File Inclusion, in the Rashid Docpro (docpro) WordPress plugin. The flaw allows PHP Local File Inclusion and affects all versions from n/a through 2.0.1. It is associated with CWE-98 and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating critical severity.
Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low attack complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation enables high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability violations, potentially leading to server compromise through local file inclusion.
The Patchstack advisory provides details on this WordPress Docpro plugin 2.0.1 local file inclusion vulnerability, including mitigation guidance, at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/docpro/vulnerability/wordpress-docpro-plugin-2-0-1-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.
Details
- CWE(s)