CVE-2026-22502: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-22502 is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the AncoraThemes Mr. Cobbler WordPress theme, caused by improper control of filenames in PHP include/require statements (CWE-98). It affects all versions of the Mr. Cobbler theme up to and including 1.1.9. The vulnerability was published on March 25, 2026, and assigned by Patchstack. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (High) (Feedly, Patchstack).

The root cause is classified under CWE-98 (Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program), where user-supplied input is passed unsanitized to PHP's include or require statements, enabling an attacker to specify arbitrary local file paths. The attack vector is network-based, requires no authentication or user interaction, and has high attack complexity. By manipulating the filename parameter, an attacker can cause the PHP interpreter to include sensitive local files from the server's filesystem (Feedly).

Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to read sensitive files on the server (e.g., configuration files containing credentials, /etc/passwd) and potentially execute arbitrary PHP code if writable files or upload directories can be leveraged. This results in high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, potentially leading to full server compromise, credential theft, and lateral movement within the hosting environment (Feedly).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites using the Mr. Cobbler theme (version ≤ 1.1.9) via passive scanning tools such as WPScan, Shodan, or by inspecting theme metadata in publicly accessible style.css files.
2. Identify vulnerable parameter: Locate the theme's PHP code path that passes user-controlled input to an include or require statement without proper sanitization or validation.
3. Craft malicious request: Send a crafted HTTP request (GET or POST) to the vulnerable endpoint, supplying a manipulated filename parameter pointing to a sensitive local file (e.g., ../../../../wp-config.php or /etc/passwd).
4. Extract sensitive data: Review the server's HTTP response for the contents of the included file, which may expose database credentials, secret keys, or other sensitive configuration data.
5. Escalate if possible: If the server allows inclusion of attacker-controlled files (e.g., via uploaded files), attempt to include a PHP web shell to achieve remote code execution (Feedly).

• Network: Unusual HTTP requests to WordPress theme endpoints containing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../, ..%2F, %2e%2e%2f) in query parameters or POST body fields.
• Logs: Web server access logs showing requests with encoded or plaintext directory traversal patterns targeting theme-related PHP files; repeated 200 responses to unexpected file paths.
• File System: Unexpected PHP files or web shells in the WordPress uploads directory or theme folder; recently modified theme PHP files.
• Process: Unusual PHP child processes spawned by the web server user (e.g., www-data) executing system commands or making outbound network connections.

Update the AncoraThemes Mr. Cobbler WordPress theme to a version later than 1.1.9, which contains the patch for this vulnerability. Until an update can be applied, consider deactivating the theme and switching to an alternative, or implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests containing path traversal sequences targeting theme endpoints. Review web server access logs for any suspicious file inclusion attempts that may indicate prior exploitation (Feedly, Patchstack).

The vulnerability was noted in the Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report for the week of March 2–8, 2026, and catalogued by VulDB. No significant broader media coverage or notable researcher commentary has been identified beyond standard vulnerability database entries (Feedly).