CVE-2025-53567
Published: 20 August 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-53567 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 36.2th 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).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Mandates timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like the PHP LFI vulnerability in Ghost Kit plugin versions <=3.4.1.
Requires validation of information inputs, such as filenames in PHP include/require statements, to block local file inclusion exploits.
Enables vulnerability scanning to identify and prioritize remediation of affected Ghost Kit plugin instances.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct LFI/RFI in public-facing WordPress plugin enables unauthenticated remote exploitation of a web application.
NVD Description
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in nK Ghost Kit ghostkit allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Ghost Kit: from n/a through <= 3.4.1.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-53567 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program, classified as a PHP Remote File Inclusion vulnerability, within the nK Ghost Kit (ghostkit) WordPress plugin. The flaw enables PHP Local File Inclusion and affects Ghost Kit versions from n/a through 3.4.1 inclusive. It is associated with CWE-98 and was published on 2025-08-20.
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). Unauthenticated attackers (PR:N) can exploit it over the network (AV:N) with high attack complexity (AC:H) and without requiring user interaction (UI:N), potentially achieving high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H) via local file inclusion.
Patchstack has issued an advisory on this vulnerability, available at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ghostkit/vulnerability/wordpress-ghost-kit-3-4-1-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve, which provides details relevant to mitigation.
Details
- CWE(s)