# CVE-2024-28247: Pihole Authenticated Arbitrary File Read with root privileges

> Authenticated attackers can read arbitrary server files as root by exploiting local file update logic in Pi-hole.

- **Severity:** High 7.6 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Mar 2024
- **Updated:** 13 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-95g6-7q26-mp9x

## What is CVE-2024-28247?

CVE-2024-28247 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in pi-hole, published on 27 Mar 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects your devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software. A vulnerability has been discovered in Pihole that allows an authenticated user on the platform to read internal server files arbitrarily, and because the application runs from behind, reading files is done as a privileged user.If the URL that is in the list of "Adslists" begins with "file*" it is understood that it is updating from a local file, on the other hand if it does not begin with "file*" depending on the state of the response it does one thing or another. The problem resides in the update through local files. When updating from a file which contains non-domain lines, 5 of the non-domain lines are printed on the screen, so if you provide it with any file on the server which contains non-domain lines it will print them on the screen. This vulnerability is fixed by 5.18.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-28247?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Pi-Hole Pi-Hole.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-28247?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-28247 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-28247 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-28247 exists.

Public exploit code:

- This repository provides an exploit for CVE-2024-28247, highlighting a vulnerability that permits a remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the system. (github_poc): https://github.com/T0X1Cx/CVE-2024-28247-Pi-hole-Arbitrary-File-Read

## Other vulnerabilities in pi-hole

- [CVE-2020-8816](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8816/): Pi-Hole AdminLTE Remote Code Execution (critical 9.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-34087](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-34087/): Pi-Hole AdminLTE Whitelist (now 'Web Allowlist') Remote Command Execution (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2026-50130](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-50130/): Pi-hole: Local privilege escalation from `pihole` user to root via `/etc/pihole/logrotate` (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-11108](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11108/): File upload in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-13051](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-13051/): Pi-Hole 4.3 allows Command Injection. (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-28247 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-28247 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in pi-hole, published on 27 Mar 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-28247 exists.

Affected product: pi-hole. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-28247/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-28247/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-28247
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-28247
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-28247

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-28247/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.