# CVE-2026-119335: Pi-hole: Local privilege escalation from `pihole` user to root via CVE-2026-41489  fix bypass

Status: published. Published: 2026-10-30. Updated: 2026-11-05.

Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software. Prior to 6.5, advanced/Scripts/utils.sh getFTLPID() attempts to validate the pihole-owned /run/pihole-FTL.pid file with expr "${FTL_PID}" : "[^[:digit:]]", but this rejects only values whose first character is not a digit. An attacker with code execution as the pihole user can write a digit-prefixed arithmetic expression to the pihole-owned PID file. Root-run pihole subcommands then evaluate [[ "$pid" -eq "-1" ]], causing Bash to recursively evaluate array subscripts and execute command substitution as root. This bypasses the content-validation portion of the CVE-2026-41489 remediation while leaving its hardcoded PID-file path protection intact. This issue is fixed in version 6.5.

## Remediation

- fix: pi-hole (other): GitHub reports patched versions 6.5. Check the advisory for the affected release branch. (source: GitHub GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398) — https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398

## Affected products and versions

- pi-hole / pi-hole: < 6.5 (affected). Source: CNA: GitHub_M
-  / pi-hole (pi-hole): <= 6.4.3 (affected, GitHub advisory range). Source: GitHub GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 3.1: 7.8 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: CNA: GitHub_M

- CVSS 3.1: 7.8 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: NVD: security-advisories@github.com

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.23% as of 2026-11-04; percentile 13.68%

- SSVC: exploitation poc; automatable no; technical impact total; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: CWE-78

## Exploit evidence

- exploit: https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398 (ADP: CISA-ADP)

## References

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398 (CNA: GitHub_M; x_refsource_CONFIRM)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/pull/6719 (CNA: GitHub_M; x_refsource_MISC)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/commit/555dd4d8b3699327fbba482bb73cce5f53979bd1 (CNA: GitHub_M; x_refsource_MISC)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/releases/tag/v6.5 (CNA: GitHub_M; x_refsource_MISC)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398 (ADP: CISA-ADP; exploit)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/commit/555dd4d8b3699327fbba482bb73cce5f53979bd1 (security-advisories@github.com)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/pull/6719 (security-advisories@github.com)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/releases/tag/v6.5 (security-advisories@github.com)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398 (security-advisories@github.com)

- https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398 (GitHub Security Advisories; advisory)

## Provenance

- CNA: GitHub_M: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-119335; retrieved 2026-11-05; source updated 2026-11-05

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-119335; retrieved 2026-11-03; source updated 2026-11-02

- GitHub Security Advisories: https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/security/advisories/GHSA-cf36-4hhc-8398; retrieved 2026-11-03; source updated 2026-10-30

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-119335; retrieved 2026-11-05; source updated Not reported

Revision: e2370ee562b52ac40c79697e36ed27591547009a86478213835db23a2c57a005

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-119335

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