Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-28041 is a high-severity file inclusion flaw in the WordPress Grit theme by AncoraThemes, affecting versions through 1.0.1. A remote unauthenticated attacker may be able to make the site include unintended local files, risking data exposure, site tampering, or service disruption. Public sources do not show confirmed active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize identification and remediation on internet-facing WordPress sites using Grit. Treat as high urgency where the theme is active on business-critical or data-sensitive sites. If no vendor fix is available, risk reduction may require disabling or replacing the theme.
Technical view
The issue is classified as CWE-98: improper control of filename in a PHP include/require statement. 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. The CVE description identifies PHP Local File Inclusion in Grit <= 1.0.1.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on public WordPress sites with the AncoraThemes Grit theme installed at version 1.0.1 or earlier. The source data does not identify affected plugins, other themes, hosting platforms, or a confirmed patched version.
Exploitation context
The vulnerability is remotely reachable and unauthenticated per CVSS, but marked high attack complexity. It is not listed as CISA KEV in the provided data, and the sources do not state active exploitation or public exploit availability.
Researcher notes
There is a data inconsistency: the narrative says Grit through <= 1.0.1 is affected, while the structured affected entry lists version '0' with defaultStatus 'unaffected'. Rely on the CVE description and Patchstack entry, then verify directly against vendor guidance. No exploit details are provided in the source bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the AncoraThemes Grit theme.
- Confirm whether installed Grit versions are 1.0.1 or earlier.
- Check AncoraThemes and Patchstack guidance for an official update or workaround.
- If no fix is available, consider disabling or replacing the theme.
- Restrict administrative changes and maintain current backups before remediation.
Validation and detection
- Review WordPress theme inventories across production and staging sites.
- Verify the Grit theme version from trusted asset or WordPress records.
- Check web logs for unusual requests targeting theme file parameters.
- Confirm whether a vendor-fixed version has been installed when available.
- Document any sites where the theme cannot be removed promptly.
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-2026-28041 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.