CVE-2025-52768 is a vulnerability classified as 'Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program,' commonly referred to as a Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerability, found in the AncoraThemes Faith & Hope WordPress theme versions up to 2.13.0. The vulnerability arises from insufficient validation or sanitization of user-supplied input used in PHP include or require statements, allowing an attacker to specify a remote file to be included and executed by the server. This can lead to arbitrary code execution, enabling attackers to run malicious scripts remotely, potentially taking full control over the affected web server. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.1, indicating a high severity with network attack vector, high complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, making it exploitable remotely by unauthenticated attackers. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the nature of RFI vulnerabilities historically makes them attractive targets for attackers seeking to compromise web servers, deploy malware, or pivot into internal networks. The affected product, AncoraThemes Faith & Hope, is a WordPress theme used primarily for blogs, portfolios, and business websites, which may be deployed in various organizational contexts. The lack of available patches or updates at the time of publication necessitates immediate mitigation efforts by administrators. The vulnerability was reserved in June 2025 and published in December 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. The absence of CWE identifiers limits direct mapping to common weakness enumerations but the nature of the flaw aligns with CWE-98 (Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement).

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-52768 can be severe, particularly for those relying on WordPress sites using the AncoraThemes Faith & Hope theme. Successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, defacement of websites, deployment of ransomware or other malware, and disruption of services. Confidentiality breaches could expose personal data protected under GDPR, leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Integrity loss could undermine trust in the organization's digital presence, while availability impacts could disrupt business operations, especially for e-commerce or customer-facing portals. Given the network-exploitable nature and lack of required privileges, attackers can target vulnerable sites en masse, increasing the risk of widespread compromise. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the high severity score indicates that exploitation would have critical consequences. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, media, and government, which often use WordPress for public-facing content, are particularly at risk. Additionally, supply chain risks exist if third-party service providers use the vulnerable theme, potentially impacting European clients indirectly.

1. Immediate removal or disabling of the AncoraThemes Faith & Hope theme version 2.13.0 or earlier from all WordPress installations until a secure patch is available. 2. Monitor official AncoraThemes channels and Patchstack advisories for release of a security update and apply patches promptly. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user inputs, especially those influencing file inclusion or path parameters. 4. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block attempts to exploit RFI vulnerabilities, including suspicious URL patterns and remote file inclusion attempts. 5. Conduct thorough code reviews and security audits of custom themes and plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities. 6. Restrict PHP configuration settings such as disabling allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen to prevent remote file inclusion. 7. Regularly back up website data and configurations to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise. 8. Monitor web server logs for unusual requests indicative of exploitation attempts. 9. Educate website administrators and developers about secure coding practices and the risks of insecure file inclusion. 10. Consider migrating to alternative, actively maintained themes with strong security track records if timely patches are unavailable.