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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2026-41489

Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software.

Published May 11, 2026 · catalog updated Jun 17, 2026 · Pi-hole is a DNS

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-41489. EPSS is 0.19%. Act only if a listed version of Pi-hole is a DNS is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • The stored product name is a package slug. The name on this page is taken from the title (Pi-hole is a DNS).
  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Severity
High8.8
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
0.19%
Remediation
Advisory link
Affected products
See sources for product scope

Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software. From 6.0 to before Core 6.4.2 and FTL 6.6.1, two shell scripts executed as root by systemd (pihole-FTL-prestart.sh and pihole-FTL-poststop.sh) read the files.pid path from this config without validation and use it in privileged file operations (install and rm -f). By writing an arbitrary path into files.pid, an attacker with pihole privilege can cause root to delete and then recreate any file on the system outside the ProtectSystem=full-restricted directories, gaining write access to it. On a default Pi-hole installation this yields local privilege escalation to root via SSH authorized keys manipulation. If /root/.ssh/authorized_keys does not exist (default on fresh installs), only ExecStartPre is required. If the file exists, ExecStopPost deletes it first, and the same restart triggers both hooks in sequence. This vulnerability is fixed in Core 6.4.2 and FTL 6.6.1.

No affected version ranges are stored yet. Use the vendor advisory before you decide this record does not apply.

How to fix CVE-2026-41489

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-41489. EPSS is 0.19%. Act only if a listed version of Pi-hole is a DNS is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-15; CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management; CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource. EPSS 0.19%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. May 11, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software. From 6.0 to before Core 6.4.2 and FTL 6.6.1, two shell scripts executed as root by systemd (pihole-FTL-prestart.sh and pihole-FTL-poststop.sh) read the files.pid path from this config without validation and use it in privileged file operations (install and rm -f). By writing an arbitr

  2. Jun 17, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software. From 6.0 to before Core 6.4.2 and FTL 6.6.1, two shell scripts executed as root by systemd (pihole-FTL-prestart.sh and pihole-FTL-poststop.sh) read the files.pid path from this config without validation and use it in privileged file operations (install and rm -f). By writing an arbitr

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-41489

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-41489

    30-day exploitation probability 0.2%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-41489

    Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software. From 6.0 to before Core 6.4.2 and FTL 6.6.1, two shell scripts executed as root by systemd (pihole-FTL-prestart.sh and pihole-FTL-poststop.sh) read the files.pid pat

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.