diff --git a/recipes-ids/samhain/files/0013-yulerc-set-SetLockfilePath-to-run-yule.pid.patch b/recipes-ids/samhain/files/0013-yulerc-set-SetLockfilePath-to-run-yule.pid.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..889fd9b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes-ids/samhain/files/0013-yulerc-set-SetLockfilePath-to-run-yule.pid.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+From 7070832b4652f3cdaa2e37325fc6f9456859cb5d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Bin Cao <bin.cao.cn@windriver.com>
+Date: Mon, 25 May 2026 14:55:37 +0800
+Subject: [PATCH] yulerc: set SetLockfilePath to /run/yule.pid
+
+On systemd-based systems, /var/run is a symlink to /run. Samhain's
+security-hardened code uses lstat() to verify the PID file directory
+is a real directory and rejects symlinks. This causes yule (the samhain
+server) to fail to start with "Path of PID directory refers to a
+non-directory object".
+
+Set SetLockfilePath explicitly to /run/yule.pid to bypass the
+compiled-in default of /var/run/samhain.pid.
+
+This is the same approach used in 0004-Set-the-PID-Lock-path-for-
+samhain.pid.patch for the standalone/client configuration.
+
+Upstream-Status: Inappropriate [OE-specific configuration]
+Signed-off-by: Bin Cao <bin.cao.cn@windriver.com>
+---
+ yulerc.template | 4 ++++
+ 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)
+
+diff --git a/yulerc.template b/yulerc.template
+index 512bc0d..24b437c 100644
+--- a/yulerc.template
++++ b/yulerc.template
+@@ -173,6 +173,10 @@ Daemon=yes
+ # SetLoopTime = 60
+ SetLoopTime = 600
+ 
++## Path to the PID file
++#
++SetLockfilePath = /run/yule.pid
++
+ ## Normally, client messages are regarded as data within a
+ ## server message of fixed severity. The following two
+ ## options cause the server to use the original severity/class
+-- 
+2.34.1
+
diff --git a/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-client.init b/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-client.init
index d5fabede..c714f8ce 100644
--- a/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-client.init
+++ b/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-client.init
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ DAEMON=/usr/sbin/samhain
 RETVAL=0
 PIDFILE=/var/run/samhain.pid
 
-. /etc/default/rcS
+# Source rcS only if it exists (not present on systemd-based systems)
+[ -f /etc/default/rcS ] && . /etc/default/rcS
 
 . /etc/default/samhain-client
 
diff --git a/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-server.init b/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-server.init
index c456e51c..49a28de6 100644
--- a/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-server.init
+++ b/recipes-ids/samhain/files/samhain-server.init
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ DAEMON=/usr/sbin/yule
 RETVAL=0
 PIDFILE=/var/run/yule.pid
 
-. /etc/default/rcS
+# Source rcS only if it exists (not present on systemd-based systems)
+[ -f /etc/default/rcS ] && . /etc/default/rcS
 
 . /etc/default/samhain-server
 
diff --git a/recipes-ids/samhain/samhain.inc b/recipes-ids/samhain/samhain.inc
index fc4e4237..85359cdf 100644
--- a/recipes-ids/samhain/samhain.inc
+++ b/recipes-ids/samhain/samhain.inc
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ HOMEPAGE    = "http://www.la-samhna.de/samhain/"
 LICENSE     = "GPL-2.0-only"
 LIC_FILES_CHKSUM = "file://LICENSE;md5=8ca43cbc842c2336e835926c2166c28b"
 
-PV = "4.5.2"
+PV = "4.5.3"
 
 SRC_URI = "https://la-samhna.de/archive/samhain_signed-${PV}.tar.gz \
            file://${INITSCRIPT_NAME}.init \
@@ -20,9 +20,10 @@ SRC_URI = "https://la-samhna.de/archive/samhain_signed-${PV}.tar.gz \
            file://0009-fix-build-with-new-version-attr.patch \
            file://0010-Fix-initializer-element-is-not-constant.patch \
            file://0001-Format-test-output-to-match-Automake-standards.patch \
+           file://0013-yulerc-set-SetLockfilePath-to-run-yule.pid.patch \
            "
 
-SRC_URI[sha256sum] = "0b5d3534fd60ecf45dfd79bd415e81f7a56eba7f1755771735e204f334033578"
+SRC_URI[sha256sum] = "e7837adfde3d59a23c59e1bf3ebacdf71bce018619194cfad938cd30cbb9d15b"
 
 UPSTREAM_CHECK_URI = "https://www.la-samhna.de/samhain/archive.html"
 UPSTREAM_CHECK_REGEX = "samhain_signed-(?P<pver>(\d+(\.\d+)+))\.tar"