On July 31, 2025, reports surfaced of a Pi-hole data breach impacting approximately 29,900 users. The breach occurred earlier in July 2025 and has since been confirmed by breach-monitoring platforms such as Have I Been Pwned. Pi-hole, an open-source DNS sinkhole solution popular among privacy-conscious users, suffered exposure of sensitive data that may include account details, email addresses, and authentication information.
1. What Happened?
The incident involved unauthorized access to Pi-hole user data, with nearly 30,000 accounts exposed. While the project is widely trusted in the open-source community for blocking ads and trackers, the breach raises concerns about security practices in self-hosted and open-source ecosystems. Early analysis suggests attackers may have exploited vulnerabilities in authentication systems or misconfigured services to gain access.
Accounts Exposed: 29,900 users affected.
Date of Breach: July 2025, disclosed on July 31, 2025.
Risks: Potential exposure of email addresses and login credentials, enabling phishing and credential-stuffing attacks.
2. Timeline of Events
July 2025: Unauthorized access to Pi-hole user accounts occurred.
July 31, 2025: Breach was confirmed and indexed on public breach-monitoring platforms.
3. How Should Users Respond?
Although the scale of the breach is smaller compared to other high-profile incidents, it carries real risks for the individuals affected. Recommended actions include:
Reset Credentials: Immediately change Pi-hole and related account passwords.
Avoid Reuse: Ensure passwords are unique across services to minimize exposure from credential-stuffing attacks.
Enable MFA: If available, use multi-factor authentication to secure logins.
Stay Alert: Watch for phishing attempts that may leverage leaked data.
Conclusion
The Pi-hole breach serves as a reminder that even trusted open-source projects are not immune to compromise. With 29,900 user accounts exposed, the incident highlights the importance of strong credential hygiene and proactive monitoring. For privacy-focused users, the breach underscores the need to pair open-source tools with robust security practices.
