External risk intelligence

Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Capella Versions 2.5.5 and Earlier

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.3)

CVE-2025-15688

The vulnerability affects a WordPress theme, which is a component of web applications commonly deployed as public-facing websites. SQL injection in such themes is reachable via the internet as part of the standard web application attack surface.

SQL Injection

Halo Surface Signal: 4 out of 5 — likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

This advisory details an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in a specific software component, Capella, that could allow an attacker to access or manipulate sensitive data. The nature of this vulnerability, a SQL injection, means it impacts how data is processed and secured within applications utilizing this component. The primary concern is confirming whether this specific component is in use and, if so, understanding its potential exposure and impact.

Attackers can exploit data access controls.
Matters for protecting sensitive system information.
Confirm usage and assess potential exposure.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests over the network to a web application using a vulnerable version of the Capella theme. This could lead to an unauthenticated SQL injection, potentially allowing the attacker to access or manipulate database information.

No authentication required.
SQL injection via network requests.
Database compromise risk.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary SQL commands when Capella is used in specific, unsupported configurations. This could lead to unauthorized access to or manipulation of the underlying database.

Database data exposure.
SQL injection via network requests.
Unauthorized data access or modification.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in Capella affects web applications, likely impacting the application owners and potentially the infrastructure or platform teams responsible for hosting these sites. The immediate first step is to identify all instances of Capella, determine their exposure and business criticality, and locate the accountable owners to plan a risk-based remediation.

Application owners should manage the issue.
Verify exposure and business criticality first.
Plan remediation based on identified risk.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Capella software?

Capella is a WordPress theme used to determine the design and layout of a website. When installed, it acts as a functional layer that handles how the site interacts with its database to display content to visitors.

How does this SQL injection work in CVE-2025-15688?

This vulnerability, classified as CWE-89, occurs when software fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before including it in a database query. Because of this flaw in Capella, an attacker can input their own database commands, tricking the application into revealing or altering information it should keep private.

Do I need to be logged in to trigger this vulnerability?

No, authentication is not required to exploit this flaw. An attacker can initiate this attack by sending a specially crafted request over the network. It is important to note that this bug only occurs in specific, unsupported configurations of the theme.

How does Halo Surface Signal categorize this risk?

Halo Surface Signal identifies this as a likely risk because Capella is a theme for WordPress, a platform typically used for public-facing websites. Since the attack vector is the network, any instance of this theme accessible via the internet faces a higher potential for being targeted compared to internal-only components.

What steps should I take if I use the Capella theme?

First, conduct an inventory to identify every instance of the Capella theme currently in use across your environment. Once identified, evaluate the business criticality of those specific sites and coordinate with the site owners to establish a remediation plan to secure or update the software.

References

patchstack.com/database/wordpress/theme/capella/vulnerability/wordpr…

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.