CVE-2020-8816

Exp

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

Published: 2020-05-29 Last update: 2025-11-10 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2020-8816 is rated Critical Active Threat (89.3/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 90.77%, 100th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2021-12-10) affecting Pi-hole / AdminLTE. a weakness (CWE-78) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2020-8816

Name: Pi-Hole AdminLTE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2021-12-10

Action due: 2022-06-10

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2020-8816

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
48727 exploit_db edb 2020-08-04 Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-8816

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 90.12% 90.77% +0.65%
2 2025-11-18 90.77% 90.12% -0.65%
3 2025-10-22 — 90.77% —

Full EPSS history (41 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-8816

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.2 5.9 [email protected]
9.1 3.0 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.3 6.0 [email protected]
6.5 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-8816

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-8816

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
pi-hole pi-hole <= 4.3.2 cpe:2.3:a:pi-hole:pi-hole:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-8816

URL Tags
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/ Broken Link Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://twitter.com/Nate_Kappa/status/1243900213665902592?s=20 Broken Link Press/Media Coverage
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8816 US Government Resource
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