CVE-2020-5721: mikrotik winbox Password in Configuration File
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2020-5721 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) Password in Configuration File vulnerability in mikrotik winbox. EPSS estimates a 0.38% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 30.7% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.
Timeline
- 15-04-2020PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 04-08-2024Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
MikroTik WinBox 3.22 and below stores the user's cleartext password in the settings.cfg.viw configuration file when the Keep Password field is set and no Master Password is set. Keep Password is set by default and, by default Master Password is not set. An attacker with access to the configuration file can extract a username and password to gain access to the router.
CVSS metrics
2 scores · 1 source · 2 versionsEPSS trend
Probability
0.38%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
31%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
0.00 pp
From 0.38% on 20-09-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.
Public exploits
1 foundExploit Reference (tenable.com)
Maturity: unknown
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-260Password in Configuration FileThe product stores a password in a configuration file that might be accessible to actors who do not know the password.
- CWE-522Insufficiently Protected CredentialsThe product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.
Affected systems
Mikrotik1 product
- winbox≤ 3.22
1 vendor · 1 product