Pi-hole Web AdminLTE v4.3.2 DHCP Static Lease Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2020-8816)
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTPi-hole Web v4.3.2 (AdminLTE) and prior versions
A privileged dashboard user can execute arbitrary system commands on the underlying operating system via a crafted DHCP static lease input.
Immediately upgrade Pi-hole AdminLTE to version v4.3.3 or later, and restrict access to the admin dashboard.
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
Apply the official security patch by upgrading Pi-hole to version v4.3.3 or later. Run the following command in your terminal to update all Pi-hole components:
# Upgrade Pi-hole to the latest secure version
pihole -up2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict access to the Pi-hole web admin interface using firewall rules, allowing only trusted administrator IP addresses to connect.
# Restrict access to port 80 (HTTP) to a specific trusted IP (e.g., 192.168.1.100) using UFW
sudo ufw deny 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.100 to any port 80 proto tcp
sudo ufw reload3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Verify the currently installed version of AdminLTE and inspect the web server logs for any suspicious activities or shell metacharacters in DHCP configuration requests.
# Check the current version of AdminLTE
cd /var/www/html/admin && git describe --tags
# Scan lighttpd access logs for potential command injection attempts in DHCP requests
grep -Ei 'addstatic|dhcp' /var/log/lighttpd/access.log | grep -E '[;`|&]'Block Exploits Instantly with Managed Virtual Patching Rules
Can't patch production immediately? Deploy managed WAF rules at the edge to intercept RCE, SQLi, and deserialization payloads before they hit your origin server.
Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2020-8816) is an OS Command Injection vulnerability (CWE-78) residing in Pi-hole Web AdminLTE v4.3.2. Pi-hole serves as a network-wide ad-blocker, DNS, and DHCP server, offering a web-based dashboard for configuration. The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and sanitization on user-supplied fields (such as MAC addresses or hostnames) within the DHCP static lease configuration page before passing them to system shell commands.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first obtain authenticated access to the Pi-hole web dashboard with administrative privileges. Once authenticated, the attacker navigates to the DHCP settings page and attempts to add a new static lease. By injecting shell metacharacters (such as ';', '|', or '`') along with a malicious payload (e.g., a reverse shell command) into the MAC address input field, the attacker forces the backend PHP script to execute the injected commands with the privileges of the web server user (typically www-data) when the configuration is applied.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
As this vulnerability is listed in the CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities) catalog, it represents a highly practical and actively exploited threat. Successful exploitation grants the attacker arbitrary code execution on the Pi-hole server. Since Pi-hole typically acts as a critical infrastructure component (DNS/DHCP) within the local network, compromising it allows attackers to perform DNS hijacking, intercept sensitive network traffic, or pivot deeper into the internal network.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
Pi-hole Web v4.3.2 (aka AdminLTE) allows Remote Code Execution by privileged dashboard users via a crafted DHCP static lease.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2020-8816)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2020-8816 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2020-8816 is rated CVSS 7.2 (HIGH) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 78.3%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2020-8816?
Primary impacted vendors include pi-hole across adminlte, pi-hole. Scope summary: Pi-hole Web (AdminLTE) v4.3.2 and earlier versions (requires DHCP enabled and administrative privileges)
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2020-8816 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately upgrade Pi-hole AdminLTE to version v4.3.3 or later, and restrict access to the admin dashboard. Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
Generate an Internal Engineering Notice or CISO Report for CVE-2020-8816
Instantly format this advisory into an executive CISO summary or engineering patch ticket.
🔗 Related Advisories in Similar Stack (pi-hole)
View Category →LiteLLM Proxy Server MCP Test Endpoints Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Advisory (CVE-2026-42271)
[Affected Scope] LiteLLM proxy server environments running versions 1.74.2 to before 1.83.7
Ahsay AhsayCBS Replication Receiver Remote Code Execution (RCE) Vulnerability Advisory (CVE-2026-105134)
[Affected Scope] AhsayCBS versions up to 9.15.2.69 and 10.3.4.44, specifically the Replication Receiver component
Critical RCE in Nextcloud Collabora Online Built-in CODE Server (CVE-2026-110447)
[Affected Scope] Collabora Online Built-in CODE Server (richdocumentscode) for Nextcloud before version 26.4.303.
Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Advisory (CVE-2026-73570, CISA KEV Listed)
[Affected Scope] Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) versions prior to 10.1.20, specifically when the optional zimbra-snmp package is installed and SNMP notifications are enabled.
Subscribe to Daily Vulnerability Briefings & KEV Alerts
Concise morning briefings for SecOps, DevSecOps, and SRE teams covering newly exploited CVEs and mitigation priorities.