CVE-2025-60197 is a Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerability found in the owenr88 Simple Contact Forms plugin for PHP-based websites, affecting all versions up to 1.6.4. The vulnerability arises from improper validation and control over the filename parameter used in PHP's include or require statements. This flaw allows an attacker to supply a remote URL as the filename, causing the server to fetch and execute arbitrary PHP code hosted remotely. The vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction, making it highly exploitable over the network. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 reflects the high impact on confidentiality (full disclosure of sensitive data possible) and partial impact on integrity (attacker can execute code but not fully control system availability). The vulnerability affects websites running the Simple Contact Forms plugin, commonly used in PHP CMS environments such as WordPress. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the nature of RFI vulnerabilities historically leads to rapid exploitation once disclosed. Attackers could leverage this to deploy web shells, steal user data, or pivot to further internal network compromise. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases the urgency for mitigation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows remote code execution without requiring credentials or user interaction, increasing the attack surface significantly.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-60197 can be severe. Websites using the vulnerable Simple Contact Forms plugin are at risk of remote code execution, which can lead to unauthorized data access, defacement, or use of the compromised server as a foothold for lateral movement within corporate networks. Confidential customer data, internal documents, and authentication credentials could be exposed or manipulated. The integrity of web applications may be compromised, potentially damaging organizational reputation and customer trust. Since the vulnerability does not affect availability directly, denial-of-service is less likely, but attackers could still disrupt services indirectly through malicious payloads. Organizations in Europe with strict data protection regulations like GDPR face additional legal and compliance risks if personal data is exposed. The threat is amplified in sectors with high web presence such as e-commerce, finance, healthcare, and government services. The ease of exploitation without authentication means even less sophisticated attackers can leverage this vulnerability, increasing the likelihood of widespread attacks.

1. Immediately monitor for updates or patches from the plugin vendor (owenr88) and apply them as soon as they become available. 2. In the absence of an official patch, disable or remove the Simple Contact Forms plugin from production environments to eliminate the attack vector. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on any parameters that control file inclusion paths to prevent remote URLs from being accepted. 4. Configure the PHP environment to disable allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen directives, preventing PHP from including remote files. 5. Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting RFI attack patterns to detect and block malicious requests. 6. Conduct thorough security audits and code reviews of custom plugins or themes that may use include/require statements insecurely. 7. Monitor web server logs for suspicious requests attempting to exploit file inclusion vulnerabilities. 8. Educate development teams on secure coding practices to avoid similar vulnerabilities in the future. 9. Consider network segmentation to limit the impact of a compromised web server on internal systems. 10. Maintain regular backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential compromises.