External risk intelligence

Education WordPress Theme HiStudy SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.3)

CVE-2025-48089

The vulnerability affects a WordPress theme. WordPress themes are commonly used to power public-facing websites, making them inherently internet-accessible. SQL injection in a theme's components frequently impacts public-facing inputs, consistent with common web application deployment patterns where the theme serves content directly to the internet.

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

A critical vulnerability has been identified in the HiStudy WordPress theme, which could allow unauthorized access to sensitive information. This type of flaw, known as SQL injection, means that an attacker could potentially query the theme's database without proper authentication. The main concern at this time is confirming if this specific theme is in use and if it is exposed to the internet.

Allows attackers to access theme database information.
Matters because it can expose sensitive user data.
Confirm if the HiStudy theme is in use and exposed.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker can target users of the Education WordPress Theme | HiStudy by sending specially crafted requests over the internet. If the theme processes these requests without properly neutralizing specific characters, it can lead to SQL injection, potentially allowing the attacker to access or manipulate database information.

No authentication required to trigger.
Malicious SQL commands in user input.
Unauthorized database access and modification.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to inject malicious SQL commands into the Education WordPress Theme | HiStudy. When supported by the advisory, this could lead to unauthorized access to or modification of sensitive data stored in the website's database.

Sensitive database information.
Via unauthenticated network requests.
Potential for data exposure or corruption.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

Determining ownership for this SQL injection vulnerability in the HiStudy WordPress theme requires identifying which team manages the website or application where it's deployed. The first practical step is to locate all instances of the HiStudy theme, assess their internet exposure and business criticality, and then pinpoint the accountable application or site owner to prioritize remediation.

Identify website owners and exposure.
Verify theme reachability and business impact.
Plan remediation with vendor coordination.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the HiStudy WordPress theme?

HiStudy is a specialized WordPress theme designed for building educational websites. It serves as the visual and functional framework for online learning platforms, handling how content is displayed to students and how data is processed within the site’s database.

How does CVE-2025-48089 trigger an SQL injection?

This vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 weakness class, which happens when software fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before including it in a database query. In CVE-2025-48089, an attacker can input malicious SQL commands into the theme's parameters, tricking the database into executing unauthorized instructions instead of processing them as plain text.

Do I need to be logged in for this to be triggered?

No. The vulnerability is triggered by sending specially crafted requests over the network without requiring any prior authentication or user accounts. Simply visiting the site or interacting with specific input fields handled by the theme is enough to initiate the request, provided the theme does not properly neutralize the input.

Why does Halo Surface Signal categorize this as an external threat?

Halo Surface Signal flags this as an external risk because HiStudy is a WordPress theme designed for public-facing websites. Since these themes are intended to be accessed over the internet, the components susceptible to SQL injection are naturally exposed to anyone with a web browser, rather than being restricted to internal, private networks.

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

Start by auditing your environment to locate all active installations of the HiStudy theme. Determine which sites are reachable from the internet and prioritize those handling sensitive user or academic data. Coordinate with your team to review available updates from the theme developer to resolve the underlying input sanitization flaw.

References

patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/histudy/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.