Executive brief
The Aqua theme for WordPress contains a security flaw that could allow an attacker to access sensitive internal files. By exploiting this vulnerability, a malicious user with basic account access could potentially view configuration files containing database credentials, leading to a full site takeover. This affects websites using the Aqua theme version 5.1.2 and earlier.
Technical details
A Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability exists in the jwsthemes Aqua theme for WordPress (versions <= 5.1.2) due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input used in PHP include or require statements (CWE-98). An attacker with 'Contributor' level privileges can exploit this flaw over the network to include and execute local files on the server. This can lead to the disclosure of sensitive information, such as the wp-config.php file, or potentially remote code execution if the attacker can upload or influence the content of a local file. As of the advisory date, no official patch has been released.
Affected products
- jwsthemes Aqua <= 5.1.2
Timeline
- 2026-01-30: other: Vulnerability reported by researcher
- 2026-07-02: advisory: Patchstack published advisory
- 2026-07-13: disclosed: CVE published to NVD