MikroTik
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Networking hardware |
| Founded | 1 January 1996 in Riga, Latvia |
| Founder | John Tully, Arnis Riekstiņš |
| Headquarters | Riga , Latvia |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Routers, switches, access points, RouterOS software |
Number of employees | 367 (2023) |
| Website | mikrotik |
MikroTik (registered as SIA "Mikrotīkls") is a Latvian manufacturer specializing in network hardware, including wired and wireless routers, switches, access points, as well as associated operating systems and software solutions. Established in 1996, the company employed 367 staff members by 2023.
Based in Riga, Latvia, MikroTik caters to clients worldwide across sectors such as telecommunications, government, education, and enterprise. In 2022, it was valued at €1.30 billion, ranking as the fourth-largest company in Latvia and becoming the first private Latvian business to surpass a €1 billion valuation.
History
The inception of MikroTik dates back to 1996 when John Tully and Arnis Riekstiņš founded the company in Riga, Latvia. Initially, they developed networking software tailored for x86 PC platforms, which later evolved into what is now known as RouterOS. The earliest versions of RouterOS were built upon the Linux 2.2.
By 2002, MikroTik broadened its scope by manufacturing low-power single-board computer devices under the RouterBoard brand that operated RouterOS. These single-board computers could be embedded into various systems and eventually expanded into a full suite of networking hardware.
Timeline
- 1997 – Debut of MikroTik Router Software for x86 PCs, which laid the foundation for RouterOS.
- 2002 – Launch of RouterBoard PCI expansion cards for x86 PCs running RouterOS.
- 2003 – Introduction of RouterBoard 200 single-board router and RouterBOARD 220 featuring a built-in 2.4 GHz wireless antenna powered via power over Ethernet (PoE). Initial models utilized the Geode CPU before transitioning to MIPS processors.
- 2012 – Release of Cloud Core Router (CCR) 1000-series equipped with Tilera TILE-Gx many-core processors, offering up to 72 cores at 1 GHz.
- 2022 – Rollout of CCR 2000-series routers powered by ARM64 CPUs with 100GbE capabilities (CCR2216), along with a reintroduction of PC add-in boards (CCR2004-1G-2XS-PCIe).
Products
MikroTik’s offerings focus primarily on two product categories: MikroTik RouterOS, an operating system for routers based on the Debian GNU/Linux kernel, and MikroTik RouterBOARD, which encompasses Ethernet routers, switches, and outdoor wireless devices.
RouterOS
RouterOS is a Linux-derived operating system tailored for routing functions. It operates on both MikroTik’s proprietary RouterBOARD hardware and conventional x86 machines, providing flexible router deployment options. Designed mainly for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), it includes comprehensive network management tools such as routing protocols, firewall configurations, bandwidth regulation, wireless access point capabilities, backhaul link support, hotspot gateway functionality, and VPN server features.
Configuration is mainly performed through Winbox—a graphical interface for managing devices running RouterOS. Alternative management methods include FTP, Telnet, serial console access, API connections, mobile applications, SSH sessions, and MAC-level connections via Winbox.
RouterOS supports key ISP protocols like OSPF, BGP, and Multiprotocol Label Switching (VPLS/MPLS), with full compatibility for both IPv4 and IPv6 across nearly all interfaces.
Significant releases of RouterOS include:
- Version 7: December 2021
- Version 6: November 2012
- Version 5: March 2010
- Version 4: October 2009
- Version 3: January 2008
RouterBOARD
The RouterBOARD (RB) series represents MikroTik’s dedicated line of networking hardware, designed to operate seamlessly with the RouterOS platform. These products primarily serve small to medium-sized wireless ISPs, facilitating broadband wireless connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach locations. The portfolio encompasses pre-assembled SOHO routers, indoor and outdoor wireless devices employing 802.11 MIMO and TDMA technologies, as well as bare PCB routers intended for bespoke configurations.
Wireless antennas
MikroTik supplies an array of wireless antennas tailored for various use cases, including sector, dish, and omnidirectional types. Each antenna is engineered to enhance outdoor wireless signal reach and coverage efficiency.
Access points
The access point offerings from MikroTik cater to both indoor and outdoor settings, supporting multiple frequency bands and throughput capacities. This includes solutions operating in the 60 GHz spectrum, compliance with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards, and integration with cellular networks such as 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G technologies.
Ethernet routers
MikroTik’s Ethernet router lineup spans from compact models suitable for small offices to high-capacity devices designed for ISP-level deployments, addressing a broad range of network sizes and complexity requirements.
Network switches
The company manufactures cloud router switches and cloud smart switches featuring extensive port configurations to facilitate network scalability. These switches support advanced functionalities including VLAN segmentation, Quality of Service (QoS), and port mirroring.
VPNFilter
In May 2018, Cisco Talos disclosed that certain MikroTik devices were susceptible to the VPNFilter malware. RouterOS versions up to 6.42 were found to have a directory traversal flaw within the WinBox interface, enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to access files and authenticated users to modify them. This vulnerability presented a significant security threat.
Meris
Beginning in June 2021, a botnet exploiting unsecured MikroTik devices generated enormous volumes of application-layer traffic via HTTP pipelining, resulting in substantial DDoS attacks. The botnet, named Mēris by Qrator Labs, was reported by Yandex to have initiated attacks on August 4, 2021, with traffic exceeding 5 million requests per second (RPS). The peak attack on September 5 reached nearly 22 million RPS. Additionally, Cloudflare documented an attack surpassing 17 million RPS in July 2021.
FOISted
In June 2022, Margin Research uncovered the FOISted vulnerability that permitted device administrators to escalate privileges to super-admin level. This flaw could be exploited for command and control hijacking or launching DDoS attacks. MikroTik addressed this critical security issue in the October 2022 update of RouterOS.