CVE-2026-86060 — RouterOS contains an argument-handling flaw in the SSH login path involving user

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 reac

01What is this vulnerability?

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…

02Affected products

No structured affected-product list available — see references below for vendor advisories.

03Active exploitation status

Yes — actively exploited. Added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2026-09-10. Ransomware use: Unknown.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:

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07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2026-09-05T20:17:18.703
• Last modified: 2026-09-11T12:52:16.507
• Added to CISA KEV: 2026-09-10

09References

• cert.pl — https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/09/mikrotik-routeros-cve
• cert.pl — https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/09/vulnerabilities-in-mikrotik-routeros-actively-e…
• forum.mikrotik.com — https://forum.mikrotik.com/t/6-49-21-long-term-is-released/272802
• forum.mikrotik.com — https://forum.mikrotik.com/t/7-23-4-long-term-is-released/272801
• forum.mikrotik.com — https://forum.mikrotik.com/t/7-24-2-stable-is-released/272800
• mikrotik.com — https://mikrotik.com/supportsec/september-2026-vulnerability/
• npratley.net — https://npratley.net/reversing-mikrotiks-silent-patch-the-routeros-7-23-4-fix-th…
• www.cisa.gov — https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-…