MikroTik RouterOS Authentication Bypass Vulnerability via Improper Certificate Validation

An authentication bypass vulnerability has been identified in MikroTik RouterOS services, including OpenVPN, CAPsMAN, and Dot1X. This issue arises from improper validation of certificates, allowing any certificate authority in the system-wide trust store to be accepted in various contexts. As a result, an attacker could exploit this flaw to bypass authentication in CAPsMAN and OpenVPN, potentially leading to unauthorized access and manipulation of network resources.

Impact

Exploitation allows attackers to impersonate devices or services, bypassing authentication and potentially leading to unauthorized access to network resources and management capabilities.

Remediation

Users should upgrade to RouterOS version 7.21 or later. After upgrading, manually review and restrict the trust-store values of all user-imported certificates to prevent misuse. Consult the MikroTik documentation on certificate management for guidance.