CVE-2025-68985 is a critical Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerability found in the thembay Aora PHP program, affecting all versions up to and including 1.3.15. The vulnerability arises from improper control of the filename parameter used in PHP include or require statements, allowing an attacker to supply a remote file path. When exploited, this enables the attacker to execute arbitrary PHP code on the target server remotely without any authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability is classified as RFI, which is a severe form of code injection that can lead to full system compromise. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, reflecting the vulnerability’s network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality (C:H), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:H). This means an attacker can remotely and easily exploit the vulnerability to gain complete control over the affected system, steal sensitive data, modify or delete data, and disrupt services. The vulnerability affects the thembay Aora product, which is a PHP-based application commonly used in web environments. Although no public patches or exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability’s nature and severity demand immediate attention. The vulnerability was published on December 30, 2025, and was reserved just one day prior, indicating recent discovery. The lack of available patches or exploit code suggests that organizations must rely on temporary mitigations until official fixes are released. The vulnerability’s exploitation could be automated and widespread, given the ease of remote exploitation and the popularity of PHP-based applications in web hosting and e-commerce sectors.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-68985 could be severe. Many European enterprises rely on PHP-based web applications for e-commerce, content management, and customer portals, where thembay Aora may be deployed. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive customer data, intellectual property theft, and disruption of critical online services. This could result in financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties under GDPR due to data breaches. The ability to execute arbitrary code remotely without authentication increases the risk of ransomware deployment, website defacement, or use of compromised servers as part of botnets. Service outages caused by this vulnerability could affect business continuity and customer trust. Additionally, supply chain risks arise if third-party service providers or hosting environments use the vulnerable software. The critical severity and network-exploitable nature mean attackers could scan and compromise vulnerable systems en masse, increasing the threat landscape for European organizations.

1. Immediate patching: Organizations should monitor thembay’s official channels for security updates and apply patches as soon as they become available. 2. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy and configure WAFs to detect and block attempts to exploit RFI vulnerabilities, including filtering suspicious include/require parameters. 3. Input validation and sanitization: Review and harden the application’s code to ensure that filenames used in include/require statements are strictly validated against a whitelist of allowed files or directories. 4. Disable remote file inclusion: Configure PHP settings such as 'allow_url_include' to 'Off' to prevent inclusion of remote files. 5. Restrict PHP include paths: Use 'open_basedir' to limit the directories PHP can access, reducing the risk of arbitrary file inclusion. 6. Network segmentation: Isolate vulnerable web servers from critical internal networks to limit lateral movement if compromised. 7. Monitoring and logging: Enable detailed logging of web server and application activity to detect exploitation attempts early. 8. Incident response readiness: Prepare response plans for potential exploitation scenarios, including forensic analysis and system recovery. 9. Vendor communication: Engage with thembay for timely updates and guidance on secure configurations. These measures combined will reduce the attack surface and mitigate the risk until a permanent patch is applied.