Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-39538

High

Published: 08 April 2026

Published
08 April 2026
Modified
24 April 2026
KEV Added
—
Patch
—
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0015 34.9th percentile
Risk Priority 15 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2026-39538 is a high-severity PHP Remote File Inclusion (CWE-98) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 34.9th 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-2026-39538 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement vulnerability, classified as a PHP Remote File Inclusion issue that enables PHP Local File Inclusion, in the Mikado Core plugin (mikado-core) developed by Mikado-Themes for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of Mikado Core from n/a through 1.6 inclusive. It is associated with CWE-98 and was published on 2026-04-08.

The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), with vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Exploitation is possible over the network by an attacker with low privileges, though it requires high attack complexity and no user interaction. Successful attacks can lead to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially allowing arbitrary local file inclusion.

Mitigation details are available in the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/mikado-core/vulnerability/wordpress-mikado-core-plugin-1-6-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in Mikado-Themes Mikado Core mikado-core allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Mikado Core: from n/a through <= 1.6.

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 →
Why these techniques?

LFI vulnerability in public-facing WordPress plugin enables exploitation of public-facing applications (T1190) and direct access to arbitrary local system files/data (T1005).

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-68537Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28079Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28061Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28048Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-22516Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-28120Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-67992Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-31432Shared CWE-98
CVE-2026-39613Shared CWE-98
CVE-2025-26957Shared CWE-98

Affected Assets

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly addresses the CVE by requiring timely identification, reporting, and patching of the vulnerable Mikado Core plugin versions through 1.6.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Prevents exploitation of the improper filename control in PHP include/require by validating inputs for malicious paths or filenames at entry points.

CM-6 Configuration Settings partial match
prevent

Mitigates the vulnerability through secure configuration settings in PHP, such as open_basedir restrictions and disabling allow_url_include to limit file inclusion scope.

References