Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-28129

High

Published: 05 March 2026

Published
05 March 2026
Modified
22 April 2026
KEV Added
Patch
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 0.0033 24.3th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

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

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

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.
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.

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

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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

prevent

Directly remediates the improper filename control flaw in the Little Birdies WordPress theme's PHP include/require statements by applying patches or updates.

prevent

Validates user-supplied filenames and paths prior to use in PHP include/require statements to block local file inclusion exploitation.

prevent

Enforces secure PHP configuration settings like open_basedir or disable_functions to restrict arbitrary local file access and inclusion.

References