Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-28057

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-2026-28057 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 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation).

Deeper analysis

CVE-2026-28057 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, classified as PHP Remote File Inclusion but enabling PHP Local File Inclusion, in the ThemeREX Mandala WordPress theme. This issue affects Mandala versions from n/a through 2.8.

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network (AV:N) with no privileges required (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N), though it demands high attack complexity (AC:H). Successful exploitation results in high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), with an overall CVSS 3.1 score of 8.1, potentially allowing attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files.

The Patchstack advisory provides details on this Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the WordPress Mandala theme version 2.8: https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/mandala/vulnerability/wordpress-mandala-theme-2-8-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 ThemeREX Mandala mandala allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Mandala: from n/a through <= 2.8.

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 →
Why these techniques?

This is an unauthenticated remote Local File Inclusion vulnerability in a public-facing WordPress theme, directly enabling exploitation of public-facing applications.

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-58923Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-69057Shared CWE-98
CVE-2024-54263Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28035Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28024Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-67525Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-22707Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-69375Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22443Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-53198Shared CWE-98

Affected Assets

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly remediates the LFI vulnerability in the Mandala WordPress theme by requiring timely patching of the improper filename control in PHP include/require statements.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Validates user-supplied filenames prior to their use in PHP include/require operations to prevent arbitrary local file inclusion.

CM-6 Configuration Settings good match
prevent

Enforces restrictive PHP configuration settings such as open_basedir to limit file access paths and mitigate LFI exploitation in the Mandala theme.

References