| Setting | Action | Why | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Upgrade to 6.49.17+ or 7.15.3+ (latest as of 2026) | The authentication bypass is patched in 6.49.7 / 7.7, but newer builds fix later vector variants. | | WinBox Service | /ip service disable winbox then use SSH only | Port 8291 is the primary attack vector. Disable it globally. | | Management ACL | /ip service set ssh,www,www-ssl,api,.... allowed-address=your.lan.subnet/24 | Prevents any external party from reaching management services. | | Firewall | /ip firewall filter add chain=input src-address-list=!trusted in-interface=!LAN action=drop | Explicitly block WAN-side access to ports 80, 443, 8291, 22, 8728, 8729. | | Disable Unused | /tool bandwidth-server set enabled=no /ip proxy set enabled=no | Reduce attack surface. | | Secure SSH | Set strong-crypto=yes and disable password auth, use key-only. | Prevents post-exploit lateral movement via stolen creds. |
: Attackers targeted the user.dat file, which contains the encrypted credentials of the system administrators.
🔒 Recent High-Risk Flaw: CVE-2023-30799 (Privilege Escalation)