CVE-2026-28098
Published: 05 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-28098 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-2026-28098 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, classified as PHP Remote File Inclusion but manifesting as PHP Local File Inclusion, in the ThemeREX Save Life WordPress theme. This issue affects Save Life versions from n/a through 1.2.13.
Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network (AV:N), though it requires high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). Successful exploitation results in high impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), with an unchanged scope (S:U), yielding a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1. It maps to CWE-98.
The Patchstack advisory documents this local file inclusion vulnerability specifically in the WordPress Save Life theme version 1.2.13.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-9753
Vulnerability details
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in ThemeREX Save Life save-life allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Save Life: from n/a through <= 1.2.13.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
CVE-2026-28098 is a file inclusion vulnerability (LFI/RFI) in a public-facing WordPress theme, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to include and execute local files, directly enabling exploitation of a public-facing application.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires validation of information inputs such as filenames used in PHP include/require statements, directly preventing local file inclusion by blocking malicious path traversals.
Mandates timely remediation of identified flaws like the improper filename control in the Save Life WordPress theme, eliminating the vulnerability through patching.
Restricts information inputs to system-approved types and formats, limiting filenames to safe values and mitigating arbitrary local file inclusion attempts.