CVE-2020-20230 : What You Need to Know

Mikrotik RouterOs before stable 6.47 suffers from an uncontrolled resource consumption in the sshd process, leading to a Denial of Service vulnerability.

Understanding CVE-2020-20230

This CVE identifies a vulnerability in Mikrotik RouterOs that allows an authenticated remote attacker to overload the system's CPU, causing a Denial of Service.

What is CVE-2020-20230?

The vulnerability in Mikrotik RouterOs before stable 6.47 enables an attacker to trigger uncontrolled resource consumption in the sshd process, resulting in a CPU overload and system unresponsiveness.

The Impact of CVE-2020-20230

The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a Denial of Service condition, rendering the affected system unavailable to legitimate users.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-20230

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows an authenticated remote attacker to cause uncontrolled resource consumption in the sshd process, resulting in a CPU overload.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Mikrotik RouterOs
Versions affected: Mikrotik RouterOs versions before stable 6.47

Exploitation Mechanism

An authenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the sshd process, leading to excessive resource consumption and CPU overload.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-20230 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Mikrotik RouterOs to version 6.47 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor system resources for any unusual spikes in CPU usage.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Regularly review and update access controls to prevent unauthorized access.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Mikrotik and apply patches promptly to address known vulnerabilities.