CVE-2026-35517: CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in pi-hole FTL
A high-severity remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-35517) exists in Pi-hole FTL versions 6. 0 up to but not including 6. 6. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements in the upstream DNS servers configuration parameter, allowing an authenticated attacker to inject arbitrary dnsmasq configuration directives via newline characters. This injection can lead to command execution on the underlying system. The issue is fixed in version 6. 6. No known exploits in the wild have been reported as of the publication date.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
Pi-hole FTL (FTLDNS) versions from 6.0 to before 6.6 contain an OS command injection vulnerability in the dns.upstreams configuration parameter. Authenticated users can exploit improper input sanitization to inject newline characters that allow arbitrary dnsmasq configuration directives to be added. This leads to remote code execution on the host system. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-35517 with a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (high severity). The vulnerability is resolved in Pi-hole FTL version 6.6.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system hosting Pi-hole FTL. This can lead to full system compromise, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. The vulnerability affects all Pi-hole FTL installations running versions 6.0 through 6.5 inclusive.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade Pi-hole FTL to version 6.6 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. Since the vendor advisory indicates the issue is resolved in 6.6, applying this official fix is the recommended remediation. No other mitigation or temporary workaround is documented. Patch status is confirmed fixed in version 6.6.
CVE-2026-35517: CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in pi-hole FTL
Description
A high-severity remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-35517) exists in Pi-hole FTL versions 6. 0 up to but not including 6. 6. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements in the upstream DNS servers configuration parameter, allowing an authenticated attacker to inject arbitrary dnsmasq configuration directives via newline characters. This injection can lead to command execution on the underlying system. The issue is fixed in version 6. 6. No known exploits in the wild have been reported as of the publication date.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
Pi-hole FTL (FTLDNS) versions from 6.0 to before 6.6 contain an OS command injection vulnerability in the dns.upstreams configuration parameter. Authenticated users can exploit improper input sanitization to inject newline characters that allow arbitrary dnsmasq configuration directives to be added. This leads to remote code execution on the host system. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-35517 with a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (high severity). The vulnerability is resolved in Pi-hole FTL version 6.6.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system hosting Pi-hole FTL. This can lead to full system compromise, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. The vulnerability affects all Pi-hole FTL installations running versions 6.0 through 6.5 inclusive.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade Pi-hole FTL to version 6.6 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. Since the vendor advisory indicates the issue is resolved in 6.6, applying this official fix is the recommended remediation. No other mitigation or temporary workaround is documented. Patch status is confirmed fixed in version 6.6.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-03T02:15:39.280Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69d52344aaed68159a2ec621
Added to database: 4/7/2026, 3:31:16 PM
Last enriched: 4/14/2026, 3:55:01 PM
Last updated: 5/21/2026, 3:19:04 PM
Views: 37
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