CVE-2025-69065 is a Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerability found in the AncoraThemes Snow Mountain WordPress theme, specifically affecting versions up to and including 1.4.3. The vulnerability arises from improper control over the filename parameter 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 PHP scripts remotely without any authentication or user interaction. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 reflects a high severity, with 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, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can lead to full system compromise, data theft, defacement, or service disruption. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the nature of RFI vulnerabilities makes them attractive targets for attackers. The vulnerability affects websites using the Snow Mountain theme, which is popular among WordPress users for creating visually appealing sites. The lack of available patches at the time of publication increases the urgency for administrators to apply mitigations or monitor for updates. This vulnerability is a classic example of insecure coding practices in PHP applications, where user input is not properly sanitized before being used in file inclusion functions.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-69065 can be severe. Organizations running WordPress sites with the Snow Mountain theme are at risk of remote code execution, which can lead to data breaches, website defacement, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and potential lateral movement within internal networks. This could affect e-commerce platforms, government portals, educational institutions, and other sectors relying on WordPress for their web presence. The compromise of such websites can result in reputational damage, financial losses, regulatory penalties under GDPR for data breaches, and operational disruptions. Given the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, attackers could exfiltrate personal data of EU citizens, modify website content to spread misinformation or malware, or cause denial of service. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability without authentication increases the risk of widespread automated attacks, especially if exploit code becomes publicly available. European organizations with limited cybersecurity resources or outdated WordPress installations are particularly vulnerable.

1. Immediately update the Snow Mountain theme to a patched version once available from AncoraThemes. 2. If no patch is available, temporarily disable or remove the Snow Mountain theme to prevent exploitation. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on any user-controllable parameters related to file inclusion. 4. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block attempts to exploit file inclusion vulnerabilities, including blocking suspicious URL parameters and remote file references. 5. Restrict PHP configuration settings such as disabling allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen to prevent remote file inclusion. 6. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans on WordPress installations and themes. 7. Monitor web server logs for unusual requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. 8. Educate site administrators on secure theme management and timely patching. 9. Employ least privilege principles for web server processes to limit the impact of potential exploitation. 10. Backup website data regularly to enable quick recovery in case of compromise.