CVE-2020-20265 in MikroTik
Summary
by MITRE • 05/11/2021
Mikrotik RouterOs before 6.47 (stable tree) suffers from a memory corruption vulnerability in the /ram/pckg/wireless/nova/bin/wireless process. An authenticated remote attacker can cause a Denial of Service due via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-20265 affects MikroTik RouterOS versions prior to 6.47, specifically targeting the wireless networking component within the router operating system. This memory corruption flaw exists within the wireless process located at /ram/pckg/wireless/nova/bin/wireless, making it a critical security concern for network infrastructure devices running affected firmware versions. The vulnerability represents a significant risk to network availability and stability, as it can be exploited by authenticated remote attackers to disrupt services.
The technical nature of this flaw involves memory corruption within the wireless networking daemon, which typically handles wireless packet processing and network management functions. When an authenticated attacker sends a specially crafted packet to the wireless interface, the vulnerable process fails to properly validate input data, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in a denial of service condition. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the specific implementation may involve heap corruption or other memory management issues. The attack requires authentication to the router's wireless interface, but once authenticated, the attacker can leverage this flaw to cause system instability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to network infrastructure reliability, as it allows attackers to cause denial of service conditions that can disrupt wireless connectivity for legitimate users. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption since wireless networks often serve as primary communication channels for critical business operations, mobile devices, and IoT deployments. Network administrators may experience unexpected downtime and service degradation that can affect productivity and user experience. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the device, making it particularly dangerous in environments where wireless access points are exposed to external networks. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how vulnerabilities in network infrastructure can be leveraged to create widespread service disruptions.
The recommended mitigation strategy centers on upgrading affected RouterOS installations to version 6.47 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the memory corruption issue. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of wireless interfaces to untrusted networks, while monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potential weaknesses in network infrastructure components, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other network services or applications.