How to Fix CVE-2026-28129: Improper control of filename for include/require statement in php program ('php remote file inclusion') in Little Birdies

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-28129 is a improper control of filename for include/require statement in php program ('php remote file inclusion') in axiomthemes Little Birdies. The fix is to apply the vendor patch noted below.

What is CVE-2026-28129?

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in axiomthemes Little Birdies little-birdies allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Little Birdies: from n/a through <= 1.3.16. The CVSS base score is 8.1 (High), which puts this in the upper risk band and warrants a fast patch cycle. The official advisory is at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/little-birdies/vulnerability/wordpress-little-birdies-theme-1-3-16-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.

Am I affected?

Check the version of Little Birdies you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (Little Birdies 0 to <=1.3.16). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:

# Linux package check
dpkg -s little-birdies 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q little-birdies 2>/dev/null
command -v little-birdies >/dev/null && little-birdies --version 2>/dev/null

# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*Little Birdies*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "Little Birdies" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-28129

Upgrade Little Birdies to a patched build: See vendor advisory. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade little-birdies
dpkg -s little-birdies | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh little-birdies -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update little-birdies -y
rpm -q little-birdies

SUSE / openSUSE

sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update little-birdies
rpm -q little-birdies

Node.js / npm

# Update the affected package in your project
npm install Little Birdies@latest
npm ls Little Birdies
npm audit fix

PHP / Composer

composer update axiomthemes/little-birdies 2>/dev/null || composer update
composer show | head -20

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)

# Fix script for CVE-2026-28129 affecting Little Birdies
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-28129-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*Little Birdies*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\little-birdies-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\Little Birdies" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to See vendor advisory"
    winget upgrade --name "Little Birdies" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "Little Birdies"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-28129 affecting Little Birdies
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-28129-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s little-birdies 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "little-birdies not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q little-birdies || echo "little-birdies not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-28129-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/little-birdies /etc/little-birdies.d /etc/little-birdies.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: See vendor advisory)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y little-birdies
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y little-birdies
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y little-birdies
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update little-birdies
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s little-birdies 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q little-birdies
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)

# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28129" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28129"

Disable the affected service (Linux)

sudo systemctl stop little-birdies 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable little-birdies 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.

# Linux
dpkg -s little-birdies 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q little-birdies 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true

# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*Little Birdies*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above See vendor advisory. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

Related fixes

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• How to Fix CVE-2026-42315: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') , Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Is CVE-2026-28129 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-28129?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28129?

8.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28129?

The vendor advisory is at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/little-birdies/vulnerability/wordpress-little-birdies-theme-1-3-16-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28129.

References

• Official vendor advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/little-birdies/vulnerability/wordpress-little-birdies-theme-1-3-16-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
• NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28129
• CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*