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In a September 15, 2021 advisory, MikroTik said the DDoS attacks it had seen used routers that attackers had compromised in 2018. The company’s explanation was that attackers had changed RouterOS settings to keep remote access—not that a newly discovered RouterOS vulnerability or malware hidden in the RouterOS filesystem was involved in those attacks. That was MikroTik’s assessment of the 2021 incident, not a claim about every MikroTik router or current botnet activity.
What MikroTik said about the Mēris attacks
MikroTik said QRATOR Labs had reported a new wave of DDoS attacks involving MikroTik devices in early September 2021. The vendor assessed that the routers used in the attacks had been compromised in 2018, when an attacker could have gained access and changed router settings to preserve remote access.
In its September 15, 2021 advisory, MikroTik wrote: “If somebody got your password in 2018, just an upgrade will not help.” It also said: “There is no new vulnerability in RouterOS and there is no malware hiding inside the RouterOS filesystem even on the affected devices.” Both statements describe the vendor’s assessment at that time; they are not a general assurance about RouterOS today. MikroTik’s Mēris advisory
Why updating and cleaning up a router are different
An update can close a known software vulnerability, but it does not necessarily reverse changes made before the update. If an attacker already learned a password or added an unauthorized setting, that credential or configuration may persist after RouterOS is upgraded. Owners therefore need to review access and configuration as well as install updates.
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The historical vulnerability relevant to the 2018 compromise was CVE-2018-14847, affecting the RouterOS Winbox server. MikroTik said it discovered and fixed that issue on April 23, 2018. Its July 2018 advisory listed fixes for then-current release branches: Bugfix versions 6.30.1–6.40.7 were fixed in 6.40.8; Current versions 6.29–6.42 in 6.42.1; and release-candidate versions 6.29rc1–6.43rc3 in 6.43rc4. These are historical version numbers, not current upgrade recommendations. MikroTik’s Winbox vulnerability advisory
MikroTik had separately reported a Webfig web-service vulnerability, fixed in RouterOS 6.37.5 Bugfix and 6.38.5 Current on March 9, 2017. The vendor said that issue affected the web interface when it was not protected by a firewall; it is distinct from CVE-2018-14847. MikroTik’s Web service vulnerability advisory
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What MikroTik told owners to check
The vendor’s September 2021 guidance was to keep RouterOS updated, restrict management access, use a strong password and inspect the configuration for settings the owner did not create. Its suggested checks included:
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- An IP SOCKS proxy that the owner did not configure.
- An unfamiliar L2TP client, including one named “lvpn.”
- An input firewall rule allowing port 5678.
These are historical indicators from MikroTik’s 2021 advisory, not a complete or current detection signature. An unfamiliar setting merits investigation, but its presence alone does not establish that a router is currently part of Mēris.
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How to reduce exposure and respond to unfamiliar settings
- Update RouterOS. Use the current update process and release guidance for the device rather than relying on the old 2018 version numbers.
- Limit management access. Do not expose router administration to everyone on the internet. If remote administration is necessary, MikroTik advised allowing it through a secure VPN service such as IPsec.
- Change the password. Set a strong, unique password even if the existing password seems strong; an attacker may have obtained it previously.
- Review the configuration. Check for scheduler scripts, SOCKS proxy settings, L2TP clients, firewall rules, or other configuration you do not recognize. Consider that a device inside the local network may also attempt to connect to the router.
- Get qualified help if needed. If you find unfamiliar settings and cannot determine their purpose or remove them safely, ask a qualified RouterOS administrator to review the configuration.
MikroTik’s separate 2018 Winbox advisory also urged users who had exposed Winbox to untrusted networks to assume exposure, upgrade, change passwords, restrict the port from public or untrusted interfaces, and inspect exported configuration for abnormalities such as unknown SOCKS proxy settings and scripts. The vendor said there was no sure way at the time to determine whether a device had been affected. This is historical guidance tied to that vulnerability, not a guarantee that any present-day cleanup is complete. MikroTik’s Winbox vulnerability advisory
Is my MikroTik router part of the Mēris botnet?
The cited advisories do not provide a definitive test for an individual router. A single open port or one configuration item cannot establish that it is infected. Use the vendor’s checks as reasons to investigate and secure the device, not as conclusive proof. The available evidence also does not establish how many Mēris devices remain active in 2026 or whether the 2021 configuration indicators are still exclusive to this botnet.
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What the 2021 botnet estimates do—and do not—show
NETSCOUT ASERT’s 2021 analysis distinguished Mēris from another MikroTik-based botnet, Dvinis. It reported approximately 4,800 Mēris nodes and 3,500 Dvinis nodes observed participating in DDoS attacks. Those figures describe NETSCOUT’s telemetry and reporting period, not a current census of compromised routers.
NETSCOUT also said some early public discussion had treated roughly 250,000 potentially vulnerable devices as one botnet, while its analysis found substantially fewer botted devices and at least two distinct botnets. Vulnerability, compromise, and observed participation in attacks are different measures; the larger estimate should not be read as a count of Mēris routers. NETSCOUT ASERT’s “A Tale of Two Botnets”
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