Executive brief
The Putter theme for WordPress is vulnerable to a security flaw that allows unauthorized users to access sensitive files on the web server. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could view configuration files containing database credentials or other private information, potentially leading to a full takeover of the website. There is currently no official patch available from the developer.
Technical details
A Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability exists in the ThemeREX Putter theme for WordPress (versions <= 1.17) due to improper control of filenames for include/require statements (CWE-98). An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted requests to include local files from the server's filesystem. Successful exploitation can lead to the disclosure of sensitive information, such as wp-config.php, or potentially remote code execution if the attacker can upload or find a way to include malicious PHP code. As of the advisory date, no official patch has been released, and users are advised to use third-party mitigation rules or switch themes.
Affected products
- ThemeREX Putter <= 1.17
Timeline
- 2025-10-31: other: Vulnerability reported by researcher Bonds
- 2026-05-26: advisory: Patchstack published advisory details
- 2026-06-17: disclosed: CVE published to NVD