# CVE-2019-3943: Path traversal in RouterOS

> Authenticated attackers can traverse directories to read and write files outside the sandbox via HTTP or Winbox interfaces.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Apr 2019
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5qg2-wqx5-pq26

## What is CVE-2019-3943?

CVE-2019-3943 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Mikrotik Routeros, published on 10 Apr 2019. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

MikroTik RouterOS versions Stable 6.43.12 and below, Long-term 6.42.12 and below, and Testing 6.44beta75 and below are vulnerable to an authenticated, remote directory traversal via the HTTP or Winbox interfaces. An authenticated, remote attack can use this vulnerability to read and write files outside of the sandbox directory (/rw/disk).

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-3943?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mikrotik Routeros.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-3943?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-3943 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-3943 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-3943 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Mikrotik Routeros

- [CVE-2018-7445](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7445/): MikroTik RouterOS Stack-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-86060](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-86060/): MikroTik RouterOS Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command (critical 9.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-14847](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14847/): MikroTik Router OS Directory Traversal (critical 9.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-67277](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-67277/): MikroTik RouterOS Missing Authentication for Critical Function (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-67279](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-67279/): Mikrotik RouterOS Improper Enforcement of Behavioral Workflow (medium 6.9, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-3943 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-3943 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Mikrotik Routeros, published on 10 Apr 2019. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-3943 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Mikrotik Routeros. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3943/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3943/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3943
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-3943
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-3943

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3943/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.