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Known Exploited Vulnerability
9.1
CRITICAL CVSS 3.0
CVE-2020-8816
Pi-Hole AdminLTE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability - [Actively Exploited]
Description

Pi-hole Web v4.3.2 (aka AdminLTE) allows Remote Code Execution by privileged dashboard users via a crafted DHCP static lease.

INFO

Published Date :

May 29, 2020, 7:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Oct. 22, 2025, 12:17 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

[email protected]
CISA Notification
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

For the benefit of the cybersecurity community and network defenders—and to help every organization better manage vulnerabilities and keep pace with threat activity—CISA maintains the authoritative source of vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild.

Description :

Pi-hole Web v4.3.2 (aka AdminLTE) allows Remote Code Execution by privileged dashboard users via a crafted DHCP static lease.

Required Action :

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Notes :

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8816

Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2020-8816 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Pi-hole pi-hole
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 2.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
CVSS 3.0 CRITICAL [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
This information is provided by the 3rd party feeds.
  • Upgrade Pi-Hole Web to version 4.3.3 or later.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2020-8816 has a 11 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2020-8816.

URL Resource
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157861/Pi-Hole-4.3.2-DHCP-MAC-OS-Command-Execution.html Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158737/Pi-hole-4.3.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/commits/master Patch Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/pull/1165 Patch Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/releases/tag/v4.3.3 Release Notes Third Party Advisory
https://natedotred.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/cve-2020-8816-pi-hole-remote-code-execution/ Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20 Press/Media Coverage
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157861/Pi-Hole-4.3.2-DHCP-MAC-OS-Command-Execution.html Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158737/Pi-hole-4.3.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/commits/master Patch Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/pull/1165 Patch Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/releases/tag/v4.3.3 Release Notes Third Party Advisory
https://natedotred.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/cve-2020-8816-pi-hole-remote-code-execution/ Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20 Press/Media Coverage
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8816
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2020-8816 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2020-8816 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Profile Photo
soosmile/POC

None

Updated: 6 months, 4 weeks ago
9 stars 1 fork 1 watcher
Born at : June 21, 2022, 7:45 a.m. This repo has been linked 944 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
Ostorlab/KEV

Ostorlab KEV: One-command to detect most remotely known exploitable vulnerabilities. Sourced from CISA KEV, Google's Tsunami, Ostorlab's Asteroid and Bug Bounty programs.

cisa-kev vulnerability 0day cisa exploits

Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago
588 stars 42 fork 42 watcher
Born at : April 19, 2022, 8:58 a.m. This repo has been linked 1290 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
developer3000S/PoC-in-GitHub

None

Updated: 4 months ago
37 stars 4 fork 4 watcher
Born at : March 12, 2021, 12:22 p.m. This repo has been linked 1063 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
hectorgie/PoC-in-GitHub

None

Updated: 7 months ago
18 stars 10 fork 10 watcher
Born at : Jan. 2, 2021, 10:19 p.m. This repo has been linked 1053 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
0xT11/CVE-POC

None

Updated: 4 months ago
84 stars 31 fork 31 watcher
Born at : Oct. 2, 2020, 2:49 p.m. This repo has been linked 1114 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
team0se7en/CVE-2020-8816

Pi-hole ( <= 4.3.2) authenticated remote code execution.

pi-hole exploit privesc rce golang cve-2020-8811

Go

Updated: 5 years, 2 months ago
6 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Aug. 6, 2020, 2:04 p.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
cybervaca/CVE-2020-8816

Pi-hole Remote Code Execution authenticated Version >= 4.3.2

Python

Updated: 4 months ago
11 stars 1 fork 1 watcher
Born at : Aug. 4, 2020, 10:23 a.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
stefanman125/CyberSci-pizzashop

None

C C++ Dockerfile PowerShell Python Shell Batchfile Makefile M4 Roff

Updated: 5 years, 3 months ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : July 9, 2020, 12:06 a.m. This repo has been linked 2 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
martinsohn/CVE-2020-8816

A PoC for CVE-2020-8816 that does not use $PATH but $PWD and globbing

pi-hole poc proof-of-concept

Updated: 6 months, 2 weeks ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : June 15, 2020, 6:24 p.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
AndreyRainchik/CVE-2020-8816

A Python script to exploit CVE-2020-8816, a remote code execution vulnerability on the Pi-hole

Python

Updated: 1 year, 6 months ago
10 stars 5 fork 5 watcher
Born at : May 10, 2020, 1:12 a.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
pengusec/awesome-netsec-articles

None

Updated: 5 years, 6 months ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : April 10, 2020, 9:48 p.m. This repo has been linked 11 different CVEs too.

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2020-8816 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2020-8816 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Oct. 22, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8816
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Oct. 21, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Removed Reference https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8816
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Oct. 21, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8816
  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Mar. 14, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Feb. 04, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CWE CWE-78
  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157861/Pi-Hole-4.3.2-DHCP-MAC-OS-Command-Execution.html
    Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158737/Pi-hole-4.3.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html
    Added Reference https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/commits/master
    Added Reference https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/pull/1165
    Added Reference https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/releases/tag/v4.3.3
    Added Reference https://natedotred.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/cve-2020-8816-pi-hole-remote-code-execution/
    Added Reference https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 14, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CWE Remap by [email protected]

    Jul. 12, 2022

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed CWE NVD-CWE-noinfo CWE-78
  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Jun. 05, 2022

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Reference Type http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158737/Pi-hole-4.3.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html No Types Assigned http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158737/Pi-hole-4.3.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/pull/1165 No Types Assigned https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/pull/1165 Patch, Third Party Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/releases/tag/v4.3.3 No Types Assigned https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/releases/tag/v4.3.3 Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://natedotred.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/cve-2020-8816-pi-hole-remote-code-execution/ No Types Assigned https://natedotred.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/cve-2020-8816-pi-hole-remote-code-execution/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20 No Types Assigned https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20 Press/Media Coverage
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Aug. 04, 2020

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158737/Pi-hole-4.3.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html [No Types Assigned]
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jun. 01, 2020

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/releases/tag/v4.3.3 [No Types Assigned]
    Added Reference https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20 [No Types Assigned]
    Added Reference https://natedotred.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/cve-2020-8816-pi-hole-remote-code-execution/ [No Types Assigned]
    Added Reference https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/pull/1165 [No Types Assigned]
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    May. 29, 2020

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V2 NIST (AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P)
    Added CVSS V3.1 NIST AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Changed Reference Type http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157861/Pi-Hole-4.3.2-DHCP-MAC-OS-Command-Execution.html No Types Assigned http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157861/Pi-Hole-4.3.2-DHCP-MAC-OS-Command-Execution.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/commits/master No Types Assigned https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE/commits/master Patch, Third Party Advisory
    Added CWE NIST NVD-CWE-noinfo
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:pi-hole:pi-hole:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 4.3.2
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.2
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Base CVSS Score: 9.1
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Base CVSS Score: 6.5
Access Vector
Access Complexity
Authentication
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Exploit Prediction

EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.

90.78 }} -0.38%

score

0.99598

percentile