CVE-2025-49257: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-49257 is a Local File Inclusion vulnerability discovered in thembay Zota WordPress theme affecting versions through 1.3.8. The vulnerability was disclosed on June 11, 2025, and was assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH). It is classified as an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program vulnerability, identified by CWE-98 (NVD, Wiz).

The vulnerability is characterized as an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program that enables PHP Local File Inclusion. It received a CVSS v3.1 vector string of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating network attackability with high complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction needed, and potential for high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (Wiz, NVD).

This vulnerability is considered highly dangerous with expectations of mass exploitation. It enables malicious actors to include local files of the target website and display their contents on the screen. Particularly concerning is the potential exposure of sensitive information, such as database credentials, which could lead to complete database compromise depending on the system configuration (Wiz, Patchstack).

Users are strongly advised to update to version 1.3.9 or later to resolve the vulnerability. As an interim measure, Patchstack has issued a virtual patch to mitigate this issue by blocking potential attacks until users can update to the fixed version (Patchstack).