Two shell scripts, `pihole-FTL-prestart.sh` and `pihole-FTL-poststop.sh`, executed as root by systemd, read the `files.pid` path from the configuration without validation and use it in privileged file operations. An attacker with pihole privileges can write an arbitrary path into `files.pid` to cause the root user to delete and recreate any file on the system outside the ProtectSystem=full-restricted directories, granting write access to those files. On default installations, this allows local privilege escalation to root through the manipulation of SSH authorized keys.