CVE-2026-1463

HighUpdated

Published: 18 March 2026

Published

18 March 2026

Modified

22 April 2026

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0014 32.8th percentile

Risk Priority 18 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2026-1463 is a high-severity PHP Remote File Inclusion (CWE-98) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 32.8th 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).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) and 1 other technique. What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

prevent

SI-10 directly mitigates the LFI vulnerability by requiring validation of the 'template' parameter to block arbitrary file path inclusion and PHP execution.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

SI-2 remediates the specific flaw in NextGEN Gallery versions up to 4.0.3 by applying patches, such as the changeset to LegacyTemplateLocator.php, to prevent exploitation.

AC-3 Access Enforcement partial match

prevent

AC-3 enforces access controls on server files, limiting authenticated Author+ users from including arbitrary .php files via gallery shortcodes.

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 →

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation

Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

Local File Inclusion vulnerability in WordPress plugin enables remote code execution for authenticated low-privilege (Author+) users via arbitrary PHP file inclusion, directly mapping to exploitation of a public-facing web application (T1190) and exploitation for privilege escalation (T1068).

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

NVD Description

The Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.3 via the 'template' parameter in gallery shortcodes. This makes it possible for authenticated…

attackers, with Author-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2026-1463 is a Local File Inclusion vulnerability (CWE-98) affecting the Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 4.0.3. The flaw exists via the 'template' parameter in gallery shortcodes, which allows improper handling of file paths, enabling the inclusion of arbitrary files on the server.

Authenticated attackers with Author-level access or higher can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation permits the inclusion and execution of arbitrary .php files, resulting in PHP code execution. This can bypass access controls, disclose sensitive data, or enable remote code execution in scenarios where .php files are uploadable. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.

References provided include code locations in the affected plugin files, such as Controller.php at line 369 and LegacyTemplateLocator.php at line 140 in version 4.0.3, along with a changeset (3460327) modifying LegacyTemplateLocator.php, suggesting a patch has been applied in trunk. Additional details are available in the Wordfence threat intelligence advisory.