Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-53445

High

Published: 18 December 2025

Published
18 December 2025
Modified
20 January 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 0.0042 32.9th percentile
Risk Priority 16 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2025-53445 is a high-severity PHP Remote File Inclusion (CWE-98) vulnerability in Axiomthemes Catwalk. 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 32.9th 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 RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation).

Deeper analysis

CVE-2025-53445 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, classified under CWE-98 and commonly known as PHP Remote File Inclusion, that enables PHP Local File Inclusion in the Catwalk WordPress theme developed by axiomthemes. This issue affects all versions of Catwalk up to and including 1.4, with the vulnerability published on 2025-12-18.

The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating it can be exploited remotely by unauthenticated attackers without user interaction, though it requires high attack complexity. Successful exploitation allows attackers to achieve high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially enabling local file inclusion to read sensitive files or execute arbitrary code under certain conditions.

Patchstack's advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/catwalk/vulnerability/wordpress-catwalk-theme-1-4-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve documents the local file inclusion vulnerability specifically in Catwalk theme version 1.4 for WordPress.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in axiomthemes Catwalk catwalk allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Catwalk: from n/a through <= 1.4.

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 →
Why these techniques?

This is a remote local file inclusion vulnerability in a public-facing WordPress theme, directly enabling exploitation of public-facing applications (T1190) for potential file read or code execution.

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-58935Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-60061Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-60063Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-58889Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-53449Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-58950Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-53446Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-60064Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-58928Same vendor: Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-60046Same vendor: Axiomthemes

Affected Assets

axiomthemes
catwalk
≤ 1.4

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly mitigates CVE-2025-53445 by requiring identification, reporting, and timely patching of the PHP Local File Inclusion flaw in Catwalk theme versions up to 1.4.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Requires validation of untrusted filename inputs to PHP include/require statements, preventing exploitation of the improper control leading to Local File Inclusion.

RA-5 Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning good match
detect

Enables vulnerability scanning to identify the PHP Remote File Inclusion flaw (CWE-98) in the Catwalk WordPress theme, facilitating proactive remediation.

References