CVE-2026-28129
Published: 05 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-28129 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 24.3th 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-2026-28129 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, referred to as PHP Remote File Inclusion, present in the axiomthemes Little Birdies (little-birdies) WordPress theme. It enables PHP Local File Inclusion and affects all versions from n/a through 1.3.16. The vulnerability is associated with CWE-98 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).
The vulnerability can be exploited remotely by unauthenticated attackers over the network, though it requires high attack complexity and no user interaction. Successful exploitation allows attackers to achieve high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, primarily through local file inclusion to access or manipulate sensitive server files.
Mitigation details are available in advisories such as the Patchstack database entry for the WordPress Little Birdies theme vulnerability at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/little-birdies/vulnerability/wordpress-little-birdies-theme-1-3-16-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve. The issue was published on 2026-03-05T06:16:47.797.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-9781
Vulnerability details
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in axiomthemes Little Birdies little-birdies allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Little Birdies: from n/a through <= 1.3.16.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The vulnerability is an LFI in a public-facing WordPress theme, exploitable remotely by unauthenticated attackers, directly enabling T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly remediates the improper filename control flaw in the Little Birdies WordPress theme's PHP include/require statements by applying patches or updates.
Validates user-supplied filenames and paths prior to use in PHP include/require statements to block local file inclusion exploitation.
Enforces secure PHP configuration settings like open_basedir or disable_functions to restrict arbitrary local file access and inclusion.