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CVE-2026-86060

SSH session privilege manipulation via a crafted username in Mikrotik RouterOS

  • Critical 9.2
  • Exploited: added to CISA KEV 10 Sep 2026
  • A public exploit reference is listed

Description

RouterOS contains an argument-handling flaw in the SSH login path involving usernames that begin with a prohibited character, allowing for the trusted RouterOS policy mask to be changed, leading to privilege escalation. Exploitation requires an unauthenticated SSH session to reach the RouterOS login helper.This issue was fixed in versions: 6.49.21 (Long-term), 7.23.4 (Long-term) and 7.24.2 (Stable)

Key facts

Published
5 Sep 2026
Last changed
11 Sep 2026
Assigned by
CERT-PL
KEV added
10 Sep 2026
KEV fix due
13 Sep 2026
EPSS
6.392% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 93.779% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
SSVC (CISA)
Exploitation: active; Automatable: yes; Technical impact: total

Severity scores

Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.

  • 9.2CVSS 4.0, Criticalfrom the CNA (CERT-PL)CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

What to do

  • Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.CISA KEV required action

Historical context and remediation

This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.

No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.

Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.

Read the original CVE record.

Affected products

VendorProductVersions
MikrotikRouterOS
  • Default status: unaffected
  • 7.24 up to but excluding 7.24.2 (affected)
  • 7.0.0 up to but excluding 7.23.4 (affected)
  • 6.0.0 up to but excluding 6.49.21 (affected)

Timeline

  1. 5 Sep 2026 Published
  2. 10 Sep 2026 CVE-2026-86060 added to CISA KEV
  3. 10 Sep 2026 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue

Weakness

References