Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-28053

High

Published: 05 March 2026

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

Summary

CVE-2026-28053 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-2026-28053 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, described as a PHP Remote File Inclusion issue that enables PHP Local File Inclusion, affecting the ThemeREX Miller christine-miller WordPress theme. This flaw impacts versions of the theme from n/a through 1.3.3. It 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) and maps to CWE-98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program.

The vulnerability can be exploited by unauthenticated remote attackers over the network, requiring high attack complexity but no user interaction or privileges. Successful exploitation grants high-impact access to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, allowing attackers to include local PHP files and potentially achieve arbitrary code execution or disclosure of sensitive server-side data.

The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/christine-miller/vulnerability/wordpress-miller-theme-1-3-3-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve documents this Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the WordPress Miller theme version 1.3.3. Security practitioners should review this reference for details on affected installations and recommended mitigations.

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 ThemeREX Miller christine-miller allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Miller: from n/a through <= 1.3.3.

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 →
T1083 File and Directory Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may enumerate files and directories or may search in specific locations of a host or network share for certain information within a file system.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

LFI vulnerability in public-facing WordPress theme enables unauthenticated remote exploitation (T1190) and facilitates reading arbitrary local files for data extraction (T1005), file discovery (T1083), and unsecured credentials (T1552.001).

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-69409Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28034Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22478Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22415Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-58803Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28021Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-32500Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-26137Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-59558Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28028Shared CWE-98

Affected Assets

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Directly requires validation of untrusted inputs such as filenames used in PHP include/require statements to block path traversal and local file inclusion exploits in the vulnerable WordPress theme.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Mandates identification, prioritization, and timely patching of known flaws like CVE-2026-28053 in third-party WordPress themes to eliminate the improper filename control vulnerability.

CM-6 Configuration Settings partial match
prevent

Enforces secure configuration settings for PHP environments, such as open_basedir restrictions, to limit the scope of local file inclusion even if application-level validation fails.

References