Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-27988

Published
05 March 2026
Modified
22 April 2026
CVSS Score v3.1 8.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0040 33th percentile
Risk Priority 59 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2026-27988 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 33th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-27988 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 ThemeREX Equadio WordPress theme. This issue affects all versions of Equadio from n/a through 1.1.3. The vulnerability was published on 2026-03-05 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), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant impact despite requiring high attack complexity.

Remote, unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network without user interaction. Successful exploitation allows attackers to perform local file inclusion, potentially leading to high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, such as unauthorized access to sensitive files or system compromise depending on the included files.

The Patchstack advisory provides details on this WordPress Equadio theme vulnerability, including mitigation guidance, available at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/equadio/vulnerability/wordpress-equadio-theme-1-1-3-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in ThemeREX Equadio equadio allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Equadio: from n/a through <= 1.1.3.

CWE(s)
CWE-98

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

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 →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-24635Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-27990Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-49307Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28043Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-30782Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-53439Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22449Shared CWE-98
CVE-2024-4258Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-58926Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28009Shared CWE-98

Affected Assets

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and static analysis can discover missing filename restrictions before deployment.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Validating all inputs before they reach include/require statements directly stops untrusted filenames from being used.

AC-3 Access Enforcement partial match

Enforcing access authorizations on resources limits what an included file can reach even if a bad name is supplied.

AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement partial match

Information-flow rules can block the loading of external or unauthorized files into the PHP process.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices such as input validation and allow-listing of include paths directly prevent the weakness.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Hardened runtime configuration (e.g., allow_url_include=off) directly blocks RFI even if code is flawed.

PR.PS-05 partial match
prevents

Execution restrictions can prevent the remote payload from running, while eliminating the weakness reduces the need for such controls.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing can detect RFI but does not prevent the weakness by itself.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and safe include/require patterns that directly prevent remote file inclusion.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection and unsafe file operations.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce attack surface but do not specifically address dynamic file inclusion.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly require whitelisting and sanitization of filenames used in include/require statements.

References