Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-69038

High

Published: 22 January 2026

Published
22 January 2026
Modified
15 April 2026
KEV Added
—
Patch
—
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 0.0040 32.0th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-69038 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 32.0th 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-2025-69038 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, classified as a PHP Remote File Inclusion issue that enables PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI), affecting the Hyori WordPress theme developed by goalthemes. The vulnerability impacts all versions of Hyori from n/a through 1.3.6 inclusive. It was published on 2026-01-22 and 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), mapped to CWE-98.

Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network without requiring user privileges or user interaction, though exploitation demands high attack complexity. Successful attacks grant high-impact access to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially allowing attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files on the server.

Mitigation details and patches are documented in advisories such as the Patchstack database entry for the WordPress Hyori theme vulnerability at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/hyori/vulnerability/wordpress-hyori-theme-1-3-6-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.

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 goalthemes Hyori hyori allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Hyori: from n/a through <= 1.3.6.

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?

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit the public-facing WordPress theme vulnerability (T1190) via PHP local file inclusion to access and potentially execute arbitrary local files, facilitating collection of data from the local system (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

SI-2 requires timely identification, reporting, and remediation of flaws like CVE-2025-69038 in the Hyori theme, directly preventing exploitation through patching.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

SI-10 mandates validation of untrusted inputs to PHP include/require statements, directly addressing improper filename control that enables LFI.

CM-6 Configuration Settings partial match
prevent

CM-6 enforces secure PHP configuration settings like open_basedir and disabled file functions to restrict arbitrary local file access.

References