Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-22499 is a high-severity vulnerability in the WordPress Lella theme from Elated-Themes, affecting versions through 1.2. It may let an unauthenticated attacker include local files through vulnerable PHP include logic. This can risk sensitive data exposure, site integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority WordPress exposure check. The risk is meaningful if the Lella theme is deployed, but urgency depends on whether your environment uses this theme. There is no provided evidence of active exploitation.
Technical view
The CVE describes improper control of a filename used in PHP include/require logic, categorized as CWE-98. The reported impact is PHP Local File Inclusion in Lella theme <= 1.2. CVSS 3.1 is 8.1, with network attack vector, no privileges, no user interaction, high complexity, and high CIA impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites with the Lella theme installed, especially versions <= 1.2. The provided affected metadata is inconsistent, listing versions through <= 1.2 in the description but also showing version data as “0” with default unaffected status.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates remote, unauthenticated exploitation is possible, but with high attack complexity. No exploit details should be assumed from the provided sources.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse beyond the CVE and Patchstack entry. The description says Lella <= 1.2 is affected, while structured affected-version data appears inconsistent. Validate directly on assets and monitor source updates before making broad conclusions about fixed versions or exploit prevalence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Lella theme and record installed versions.
- Prioritize sites running Lella version 1.2 or earlier for review.
- Check Elated-Themes, Patchstack, and CVE references for official remediation guidance.
- Remove or disable the theme where it is unused or not business-critical.
- Apply vendor-supported updates if an official fixed version is available.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Lella is installed on each WordPress site.
- Verify the theme version against the reported affected range, <= 1.2.
- Review web and application logs for unusual file-access errors or suspicious theme requests.
- Document any compensating controls protecting affected WordPress sites.
- Track Patchstack and CVE records for updates to affected-version or fix details.
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-2026-22499 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.