Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-39679

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-2026-39679 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-2026-39679 is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, commonly known as PHP Remote File Inclusion, within the ApusTheme Freeio WordPress theme. It enables PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) and affects all versions of the Freeio theme up to and including 1.3.21. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-98 and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), reflecting network accessibility with high attack complexity.

Exploitation requires low privileges (PR:L), such as an authenticated WordPress user, and can be performed over the network (AV:N) without user interaction (UI:N). Attackers face high complexity (AC:H) but, upon success, can achieve high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:I:A:H/H/H), potentially allowing arbitrary file reads or PHP code execution via local file inclusion on the targeted server.

The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/freeio/vulnerability/wordpress-freeio-theme-1-3-21-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve provides details on this vulnerability in the Freeio WordPress theme version 1.3.21, including recommended mitigations such as updating to a patched version where available.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in ApusTheme Freeio freeio allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Freeio: from n/a through <= 1.3.21.

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 theme directly enables exploitation of the application for initial access (T1190) and arbitrary local file reads (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 mitigates the LFI vulnerability by requiring timely patching of the affected Freeio WordPress theme versions up to 1.3.21.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match
prevent

Prevents exploitation of improper filename control in PHP include/require by validating user-supplied inputs for correctness and appropriateness before processing.

SI-9 Information Input Restrictions good match
prevent

Restricts malicious filename inputs, such as path traversal strings, that could lead to local file inclusion in the vulnerable Freeio theme.

References