CVE-2025-49257 is a high-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-98, which pertains to improper control of filenames used in include or require statements within PHP applications. Specifically, this vulnerability affects the thembay Zota product, versions up to and including 1.3.8. The core issue is a Remote File Inclusion (RFI) flaw, allowing an attacker to manipulate the filename parameter used in PHP's include or require functions. This can lead to the inclusion and execution of arbitrary remote or local files on the server. Although the description mentions PHP Local File Inclusion, the vulnerability's nature and CWE classification indicate the potential for remote file inclusion as well, depending on configuration and input sanitization. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 reflects a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality (C:H), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:H). This means an unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely without user interaction, but the attack complexity is high, possibly due to required conditions or environment specifics. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code, leading to full system compromise, data theft, defacement, or service disruption. No patches are currently linked, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported yet, indicating a window for proactive mitigation before widespread exploitation occurs.

For European organizations using thembay Zota, particularly those running vulnerable versions (up to 1.3.8), this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution on web servers, resulting in data breaches, defacement, or ransomware deployment. Confidentiality is at high risk as attackers could access sensitive data stored or processed by the application. Integrity could be compromised through unauthorized modification of files or databases. Availability could be affected by denial-of-service conditions triggered by malicious payloads. Given that Zota is a PHP-based product, it is likely used in web environments, including e-commerce, content management, or business applications, which are critical for operational continuity. The high severity and unauthenticated remote exploitability mean attackers can target these systems at scale, potentially impacting customer trust and regulatory compliance under GDPR. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a critical opportunity for European organizations to remediate before attackers weaponize this vulnerability.

1. Immediate upgrade: Organizations should verify their version of thembay Zota and upgrade to a version beyond 1.3.8 once a patch is released. In the absence of an official patch, consider temporary mitigations such as disabling vulnerable include/require functionality or restricting input parameters. 2. Input validation and sanitization: Implement strict validation on any user-supplied input that controls file inclusion paths, ensuring only allowed filenames or whitelisted paths are accepted. 3. Web application firewall (WAF): Deploy and configure WAF rules to detect and block attempts to exploit file inclusion vulnerabilities, including suspicious URL patterns or payloads. 4. Least privilege: Run PHP processes with minimal privileges to limit the impact of potential code execution. 5. Network segmentation: Isolate web servers running Zota from critical internal networks to reduce lateral movement risk. 6. Monitoring and logging: Enable detailed logging of web server and application activity to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 7. Disable remote URL includes: Ensure PHP configuration disables allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen directives to prevent remote file inclusion. 8. Incident response readiness: Prepare response plans for potential exploitation, including backups and forensic capabilities.