HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-5721
MEDIUM

CVE-2020-5721

CWE-260Published: April 15, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.5
CVSS v3.1

Official 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.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-5721 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

mikrotik1 product(s)
winbox
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2020-23
ADVISORYhttps://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2020-23

All References (2)

→
https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2020-23Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2020-23Exploit · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-5721
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-260
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedApr 15, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-260)

CVE-2023-53739
9.9
CVE-2023-34128
9.8
CVE-2017-7925
9.8
CVE-2025-57754
9.8
CVE-2025-6513
9.3
CVE-2025-25022
8.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-5721 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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