Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-22428 affects the WordPress Tooth Fairy theme by AncoraThemes through version 1.16. It may let an unauthenticated attacker include local PHP files, potentially exposing data, changing site behavior, or disrupting service. The public sources rate it high severity, but exploitation is described as high complexity.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for any public WordPress site using Tooth Fairy <= 1.16. The business risk is site compromise or outage, but current public evidence does not show confirmed active exploitation.
Technical view
The issue is an improper filename control flaw in a PHP include/require path, mapped to CWE-98. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.1 with network attack vector, no privileges, no user interaction, high complexity, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Sources describe Local File Inclusion in Tooth Fairy <= 1.16.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites using the AncoraThemes Tooth Fairy theme at version 1.16 or earlier. Sites not using this theme are not indicated as affected by the supplied sources.
Exploitation context
The CVE record and Patchstack entry do not indicate known active exploitation, and the source bundle marks KEV as false. The CVSS vector suggests remote unauthenticated attack potential, but high attack complexity reduces likelihood compared with simpler WordPress flaws.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Patchstack database reference. The affected range is stated as through <= 1.16. The bundle does not provide proof-of-concept status, exploit details, or a named patched version, so remediation should follow vendor or Patchstack updates.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Tooth Fairy theme and recorded version.
- Prioritize sites running Tooth Fairy version 1.16 or earlier.
- Check AncoraThemes and Patchstack guidance for an official fix or workaround.
- If no fix is available, consider disabling or replacing the theme.
- Increase monitoring for unexpected PHP include errors or theme file access anomalies.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether the Tooth Fairy theme is installed on each WordPress site.
- Record the installed theme version and compare it to <= 1.16.
- Review vendor and Patchstack pages for updated remediation status.
- Check web logs for suspicious requests targeting theme include paths.
- Document compensating controls if immediate remediation is unavailable.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-98: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-22428 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.25.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.