The Gravity updater in Pi-hole through 4.4 allows an authenticated adversary to upload arbitrary files. This can be abused for Remote Code Execution by writing to a PHP file in the web directory. (Also, it can be used in conjunction with the sudo rule for the www-data user to escalate privileges to root.) The code error is in gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl in gravity.sh.
CVE-2020-11108
Score elevated to 9.0 because EPSS predicts 78% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (top 0.5% of all CVEs). NVD baseline CVSS 8.8 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.
- High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 78%
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 8.8
- EG Score
- 9.0(high)
- EG Risk
- 76(Track)EG Risk 76/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity90% × 45%Exploitation78% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 99.5%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
May 11, 2020
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (12)
- cve@mitrehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157623/Pi-hole-4.4-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- cve@mitrehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157624/Pi-hole-4.4-Remote-Code-Execution-Privilege-Escalation.html
- cve@mitrehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157748/Pi-Hole-heisenbergCompensator-Blocklist-OS-Command-Execution.html
- cve@mitrehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157839/Pi-hole-4.4.0-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- cve@mitrehttps://frichetten.com/blog/cve-2020-11108-pihole-rce/
- cve@mitrehttps://github.com/Frichetten/CVE-2020-11108-PoC
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157623/Pi-hole-4.4-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157624/Pi-hole-4.4-Remote-Code-Execution-Privilege-Escalation.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157748/Pi-Hole-heisenbergCompensator-Blocklist-OS-Command-Execution.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157839/Pi-hole-4.4.0-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://frichetten.com/blog/cve-2020-11108-pihole-rce/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/Frichetten/CVE-2020-11108-PoC
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 8× in last 7d / 22× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 01:48 UTCEG score recompute▲ 0.20
- 2026-07-22 22:32 UTCEG score recompute▼ 0.20
- 2026-07-22 14:05 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-19 12:54 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-15 16:55 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-13 22:27 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-11 08:24 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-07 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-01 22:01 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-01 15:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-01 15:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-27 03:06 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:31 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:31 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 28 moreShow fewer
- 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-15 17:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 03:13 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-13 22:58 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-13 22:58 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 13:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-07 15:23 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-07 15:23 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:50 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 03:45 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-27 03:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-26 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 06:46 UTCOSV refresh
Publicly available exploits
(6 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (1 GitHub PoC) (4 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-48519✓ verifiedFirst seen May 26, 2020
Pi-hole 4.4.0 - Remote Code Execution (Authenticated)
Open source ↗ - Exploit-DBEDB-48491✓ verifiedFirst seen May 19, 2020
Pi-Hole - heisenbergCompensator Blocklist OS Command Execution (Metasploit)
Open source ↗ - Exploit-DBEDB-48442First seen May 10, 2020
Pi-hole < 4.4 - Authenticated Remote Code Execution
Open source ↗ - Exploit-DBEDB-48443First seen May 10, 2020
Pi-hole < 4.4 - Authenticated Remote Code Execution / Privileges Escalation
Open source ↗ - Metasploitexploit/unix/http/pihole_blocklist_exec✓ verifiedFirst seen May 10, 2020
Pi-Hole heisenbergCompensator Blocklist OS Command Execution
Open source ↗ - GitHub PoCFrichetten/CVE-2020-11108-PoCFirst seen Apr 4, 2020
PoCs for CVE-2020-11108; an RCE and priv esc in Pi-hole
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-434
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2020-11108?
When was CVE-2020-11108 disclosed?
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What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11108?
How do I remediate CVE-2020-11108?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2020-11108
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