CVE-2025-60198 is a Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerability found in the dedalx Saxon - Viral Content Blog & Magazine Marketing WordPress theme, affecting versions up to 1.9.3. The vulnerability arises from improper control over the filename parameter used in PHP include or require statements, which allows an attacker to supply a malicious remote file path. When exploited, this leads to the inclusion and execution of arbitrary PHP code on the web server hosting the vulnerable theme. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, making it remotely exploitable over the network. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 reflects high severity due to the potential for complete compromise of the affected system, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack complexity is high, indicating some conditions must be met for successful exploitation, but no privileges are required. No patches or official fixes have been published yet, and no known exploits are reported in the wild. The theme is commonly used in WordPress installations focused on viral content and magazine marketing, which often have significant traffic and data sensitivity. The vulnerability could be leveraged to deploy web shells, steal sensitive data, or pivot within the victim's network.

For European organizations, exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, defacement of websites, distribution of malware, or use of compromised servers as a foothold for further attacks. Organizations relying on the Saxon theme for marketing or content delivery risk reputational damage and operational disruption. Given the high WordPress market penetration in Europe, especially in countries with large digital media sectors, the potential impact is significant. Compromise could also affect customer data privacy, leading to regulatory non-compliance under GDPR. The vulnerability's ability to execute arbitrary code remotely without authentication increases the risk of widespread exploitation if weaponized. Additionally, attackers could leverage this flaw to establish persistent backdoors or launch attacks against internal networks, amplifying the threat to European enterprises.

Immediate mitigation should focus on removing or disabling the vulnerable Saxon theme until an official patch is released. Organizations should monitor vendor communications for updates and apply patches promptly once available. In the interim, implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious file inclusion attempts, particularly those involving remote URLs. Restrict PHP functions such as include, require, and their variants from accepting remote file paths by disabling allow_url_include in PHP configurations. Conduct thorough code reviews and harden theme code to validate and sanitize all user-supplied input used in file inclusion. Employ intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous web requests. Regularly audit WordPress installations and plugins/themes for vulnerabilities and maintain strict access controls on administrative interfaces. Finally, ensure comprehensive backups are in place to enable recovery in case of compromise.