CVE-2018-14847: MikroTik Router OS Directory Traversal Vulnerability
Affects MikroTik RouterOSSource CISA KEV
Exploited in the wild · KEV due 1 Jun 2022 · public exploit available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB) · 95% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to MikroTik RouterOS now.
Data as of 10/24/2026, 22:15:59 UTC
- Exploitation
Actively exploited – in CISA KEV since 12/01/2021
- KEV deadline
- 06/01/2022 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else.
- EPSS
- 95.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 99% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Public exploits
- 1 Metasploit module, 1 Exploit-DB entryPublic attack or detection tooling exists; see Public exploits below.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NWhat to do
CISA required action
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Check the firmware or software version for MikroTik RouterOS in the device's admin interface against the vendor advisory.
Public exploits and detection
Public tooling indexed from Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB and ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates. Its existence raises the odds of exploitation; it does not confirm attacks.
Description
MikroTik RouterOS through 6.42 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary files and remote authenticated attackers to write arbitrary files due to a directory traversal vulnerability in the WinBox interface.
Weaknesses
- CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #6OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.