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FortiClient EMS CVE-2026-35616 exploitation wave

Exploitation Wave
First reported
Last updated
Happening score
H score 56
2 unique sources, 2 articles

Summary

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CVE-2026-35616 exploitation in FortiClient Enterprise Management Server (EMS) is being used to deliver the undocumented credential stealer EKZ. Attackers are abusing unauthenticated API access and FortiClient-managed VPN scripting workflows to disguise the payload as a Fortinet endpoint update, launch malicious scripts through fortitray.exe and cmd.exe, and exfiltrate stolen data to an attacker-controlled VPS over HTTP. Fortinet released emergency hotfixes for 7.4.5 and 7.4.6, CISA ordered federal agencies to secure affected instances, and The Shadowserver Foundation reported 2,000 internet-exposed EMS instances.

Cases

FortiClient EMS CVE-2026-35616 exploitation and stealer delivery (2)

Related Happenings

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Malware Activity
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About this happening: FortigateSniffer is a Golang-based credential-harvesting tool used in the FortiBleed operation against FortiGate firewalls. It abuses FortiOS packet-sniffing f...

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Initial access broker (IAB) campaign expands across multiple victims

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About this happening: The FortiBleed campaign is a live credential-harvesting activity targeting Fortinet FortiGate devices worldwide. It has been active since at least February 2026 an...

Latest development: 23.06.2026 13:30

On June 15, attackers behind FortiBleed successfully cracked Kerberos hashes and immediately exfiltrated DFS backup data from a NATO-aligned defense contractor, extending the campaign from credential harvesting into direct data theft.

Open Happening

CISA warning on FortiBleed for FortiGate customers

Public Sector Action
H score89 First: 19.06.2026 17:00 Last: 19.06.2026 17:00 Sources 1

About this happening: CISA warned Fortinet customers with FortiGate appliances to secure exposed systems against ongoing malicious activity tied to FortiBleed. The activity had reached...

Open Happening

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Campaign
H score89 First: 19.06.2026 13:48 Last: 19.06.2026 13:48 Sources 1

About this happening: The FortiBleed campaign is a global Fortinet credential-theft effort affecting FortiGate firewall and SSL VPN customers. On June 19, 2026, CISA urged harde...

Latest development: 22.06.2026 11:30

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre issued guidance for Fortinet customers impacted by FortiBleed after the campaign exposed around 75,000 credentials from FortiGate firewall and SSL VPN customers. The NCSC urged affected organizations to use Hudson Rock’s or SOCRadar’s FortiBleed checker tools and then review indicators of compromise such as unauthorized account creation and unexpected activity in log files.

Open Happening

Russian-speaking FortiGate and Microsoft SQL Server bruteforce campaign

Campaign
H score82 First: 17.06.2026 18:12 Last: 17.06.2026 18:12 Sources 1

About this happening: A Russian-speaking multi-operator threat group ran a FortiGate and Microsoft SQL Server bruteforce campaign that generated billions of credential attempts, raising the...

Open Happening

Timeline

  1. 28.05.2026 18:26 3 articles · 1mo ago

    Initial report: FortiClient EMS CVE-2026-35616 exploitation wave

    Initial Disclosure

    By May 2026, attackers were using a patched FortiClient EMS flaw to push malicious scripts through the product's management path. The early phase centered on abusing EMS controls to reach every managed endpoint from a privileged context.

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