CVE-2018-14847

CRITICAL KEV

MikroTik RouterOS <6.42 - Path Traversal

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2018-14847 is actively exploited and listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added December 1, 2021. EIP tracks 20 public exploits from researchers including Jacob Baines, BasuCert, hacker30468.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit leverages CVE-2018-14847, a path traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS, to extract admin credentials and enable a developer backdoor for root access via Telnet/SSH. It interacts with the Winbox service to read sensitive files and create malicious packages.

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.

Exploits (20)

exploitdb WORKING POC
by Jacob Baines · c++remotehardware
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45578

This exploit leverages CVE-2018-14847, a path traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS, to extract admin credentials and enable a developer backdoor for root access via Telnet/SSH. It interacts with the Winbox service to read sensitive files and create malicious packages.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (Longterm: 6.30.1-6.40.7, Stable: 6.29-6.42, Beta: 6.29rc1-6.43rc3)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to Winbox port (default 8291) · Vulnerable RouterOS version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 519 stars
by BasuCert · remote
https://github.com/BasuCert/WinboxPoC

This repository contains a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-14847, a critical vulnerability in MikroTik's Winbox protocol that allows arbitrary file read, including plaintext passwords. The exploit leverages a directory traversal flaw in the MAC server protocol to extract sensitive data.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (Winbox protocol)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable MikroTik device · MAC address of the target device
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 55 stars
by hacker30468 · infoleak
https://github.com/hacker30468/Mikrotik-router-hack

This repository contains a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-14847, a critical vulnerability in MikroTik's Winbox protocol that allows arbitrary file read, specifically targeting plaintext password files. The exploit includes discovery and exploitation scripts for MAC servers and Winbox services.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (Winbox protocol)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable MikroTik device · Winbox service (port 8291) or MAC server (port 20561) exposed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 30 stars
by jas502n · remote
https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2018-14847

This repository contains a functional proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting MikroTik RouterOS to read plaintext credentials via Winbox protocol manipulation. It includes both TCP/IP and MAC server-based exploitation methods.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions 6.29-6.42, 6.30.1-6.40.7, 6.29rc1-6.43rc3)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable MikroTik device · Winbox service enabled on target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 20 stars
by sinichi449 · remote
https://github.com/sinichi449/Python-MikrotikLoginExploit

This repository contains a working proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting MikroTik RouterOS to extract user credentials via Winbox and MAC server protocols. The exploit leverages a directory traversal vulnerability to read the user database file.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions 6.29 to 6.42)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the vulnerable MikroTik device · Winbox or MAC server service enabled on the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 15 stars
by syrex1013 · infoleak
https://github.com/syrex1013/MikroRoot

This PoC automates the exploitation of CVE-2018-14847, a directory traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS, to extract user credentials. It uses Shodan for target discovery and crafts malicious packets to dump user data.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions affected by CVE-2018-14847)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Shodan API key · Python 3.x · Network access to vulnerable MikroTik devices
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 7 stars
by msterusky · remote
https://github.com/msterusky/WinboxExploit

This repository contains a C#-based exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting MikroTik RouterOS via the Winbox interface. The exploit retrieves user credentials by leveraging a directory traversal vulnerability.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (Winbox interface)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the vulnerable MikroTik device · Winbox service exposed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 6 stars
by mahmoodsabir · infoleak
https://github.com/mahmoodsabir/mikrotik-beast

This repository contains a Python-based exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting MikroTik WinBox. It scans a CIDR range for vulnerable hosts and extracts user credentials by exploiting a directory traversal vulnerability.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik WinBox (versions prior to 6.42.7, 6.43.4, and 6.44beta34)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to MikroTik WinBox port (default 8291) · Vulnerable MikroTik RouterOS version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 5 stars
by K3ysTr0K3R · remote
https://github.com/K3ysTr0K3R/CVE-2018-14847-EXPLOIT

This is a functional PoC exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting a directory traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS WinBox interface. It allows unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary files, including credentials, by crafting malicious packets.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS through 6.42
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the WinBox interface (port 8291)
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 4 stars
by babyshen · remote
https://github.com/babyshen/routeros-CVE-2018-14847-bytheway

This exploit leverages CVE-2018-14847, a path traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS, to extract admin credentials and enable a developer backdoor for root access via Telnet/SSH. It creates files on the target system to facilitate unauthorized access.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (Longterm: 6.30.1-6.40.7, Stable: 6.29-6.42.0, Beta: 6.29rc1-6.43rc3)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the Winbox port (8291) on the target MikroTik device
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by tausifzaman · infoleak
https://github.com/tausifzaman/CVE-2018-14847

This repository contains a Python-based proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-14847, a critical WinBox vulnerability allowing arbitrary file read of plaintext passwords. The exploit sends crafted packets to extract user credentials from vulnerable MikroTik RouterOS devices.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions prior to fix for CVE-2018-14847)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target device · Port 8291 (or custom port) open on the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by yukar1z0e · remote
https://github.com/yukar1z0e/CVE-2018-14847

This repository contains a Python-based exploit for CVE-2018-14847, which targets MikroTik RouterOS to create a global proxy via PPTP VPN configuration. It includes functionality to extract user credentials and automate the exploitation process across multiple targets.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions affected by CVE-2018-14847)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable RouterOS device · Valid credentials or ability to exploit CVE-2018-14847 for authentication bypass
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by Tr33-He11 · infoleak
https://github.com/Tr33-He11/winboxPOC

This repository contains a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting MikroTik RouterOS devices. The exploit leverages a directory traversal vulnerability in the Winbox service to read arbitrary files, including plaintext passwords.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions 6.29 - 6.42, 6.30.1 - 6.40.7, 6.29rc1 - 6.43rc3)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the vulnerable MikroTik device · Winbox service enabled on the target device
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by mourafuseti · infoleak
https://github.com/mourafuseti/VULNERAVEL-CVE-2018-14847---CREDENCIAIS-EXTRAIDAS

This repository contains a functional Python exploit for CVE-2018-14847, which leverages an unauthenticated file read vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS Winbox service to extract credentials from the user.dat file. The exploit includes payload construction, session handling, and password decryption logic.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS versions 6.29 to 6.42 (before 6.40.8, 6.42.1, and 6.43)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the Winbox service (port 8291) · Vulnerable MikroTik RouterOS version
devstral-2 · analyzed May 21, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by TheMalwareGuardian · poc
https://github.com/TheMalwareGuardian/CVE-2018-14847

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2018-14847, a path traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS. The exploit leverages the Winbox protocol to extract admin credentials from user.dat without authentication.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions 6.30.1-6.40.7, 6.29-6.42, 6.29rc1-6.43rc3)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target device on port 8291 (Winbox protocol)
devstral-2 · analyzed Apr 30, 2026 Full analysis →
gitlab WORKING POC
by neurosatan · remote
https://gitlab.com/neurosatan/WinboxPoC

This repository contains functional exploit code for CVE-2018-14847, an arbitrary file read vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS Winbox. The exploit includes both TCP/IP and MAC server (Layer 2) variants, demonstrating the ability to extract sensitive files like user.dat.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS Winbox (versions 6.29 to 6.42)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable MikroTik device · Python 3.x environment
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →
gitlab WORKING POC
by Krusth · infoleak
https://gitlab.com/Krusth/WinboxPoC

This repository contains functional exploit code for CVE-2018-14847, a critical WinBox vulnerability allowing arbitrary file read of plaintext passwords. It includes tools for both TCP/IP and MAC server-based exploitation, demonstrating the vulnerability in Mikrotik RouterOS.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Mikrotik RouterOS (versions 6.29 to 6.42, among others)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable Mikrotik device · Python 3+ environment
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →
vulncheck_xdb WORKING POC
remote
https://github.com/k8gege/LadonGo

The repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2018-14847, targeting RouterOS password extraction in versions 6.29 to 6.42. The code includes a dedicated exploit module (CVE-2018-14847.go) within a broader multi-functional scanner/exploit framework (LadonGo).

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS versions 6.29 to 6.42
No auth needed
Prerequisites: network access to vulnerable RouterOS device
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 25, 2026 Full analysis →
vulncheck_xdb SCANNER
remote
https://github.com/tenable/routeros

This repository contains a honeypot implementation that detects and logs exploitation attempts for CVE-2018-14847, a directory traversal vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS. It does not include functional exploit code but instead monitors for specific malicious payloads targeting the vulnerability.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (Winbox interface)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target RouterOS device · Winbox protocol exposure
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 25, 2026 Full analysis →
vulncheck_xdb WORKING POC
remote
https://github.com/threat9/routersploit

This repository contains the RouterSploit framework, an exploitation toolkit for embedded devices, including modules for exploits, credential testing, scanners, and payloads. It includes functional exploit code for various vulnerabilities, including CVE-2018-14847, which is an authentication bypass vulnerability in MikroTik RouterOS.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: MikroTik RouterOS (versions 6.29 to 6.42)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target device · MikroTik RouterOS running a vulnerable version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 25, 2026 Full analysis →

Scores

CVSS v3 9.1
EPSS 0.9365
EPSS Percentile 99.9%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation active
Automatable yes
Technical Impact total

Details

CISA KEV 2021-12-01
VulnCheck KEV 2020-12-01
InTheWild.io 2021-12-01
ENISA EUVD EUVD-2018-6729
CWE
CWE-22
Status published
Products (1)
mikrotik/routeros < 6.42
Published Aug 02, 2018
KEV Added Dec 01, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026