U.S. CISA adds a flaw in Fortinet FortiClient EMS to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-35616 | Unauthenticated Code Execution in Fortinet FortiClient EMS 7.4.5–7.4.6 Fortinet FortiClient EMS versions 7.4.5 through 7.4.6 contain an improper access control flaw (CWE-284) that allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands by sending crafted requests over the network. The attack requires no authentication, privileges, or user interaction, making any reachable EMS management server a direct target. A successful attacker gains code execution on the EMS host, and reported campaigns have used the flaw to deploy a credential stealer. Any organization running FortiClient EMS 7.4.5 or 7.4.6 is affected. The flaw is being exploited in the wild: it was added to CISA KEV on 2026-04-06, carries a 90.7% EPSS probability of exploitation within 30 days, and Fortinet has released emergency hotfixes. Do: Upgrade FortiClient EMS off 7.4.5/7.4.6 using the fixed release or emergency hotfix per Fortinet's advisory (the available data does not specify the fixed version number), prioritizing internet-exposed servers; U.S. federal agencies must follow BOD 22-01. Until patched, restrict EMS management access to trusted networks or VPN and monitor for credential-stealer activity on managed endpoints. Given confirmed in-the-wild exploitation, assume possible compromise and hunt for indicators on both EMS hosts and endpoints it manages. | 9.8 | 91% | KEV |
| large≈10,000–100,000 EMS deployments (order-of-magnitude estimate; exact counts not in the data) |
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The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) adds a flaw in Fortinet FortiClient EMS to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a flaw in Fortinet FortiClient EMS, tracked as CVE-2026-35616 (CVSS score of 9.1), to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
This week, Fortinet released out-of-band patches for a critical FortiClient EMS vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-35616 (CVSS 9.1), which is already being exploited in attacks in the wild. The flaw is an improper access control issue that allows attackers to bypass authentication through an API and escalate privileges, posing a serious risk to affected systems.
“An Improper Access Control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiClient EMS may allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted requests.” reads the advisory published by Fortinet. “Fortinet has observed this to be exploited in the wild and urges vulnerable customers to install the hotfix for FortiClient EMS 7.4.5 and 7.4.6”
Fortinet confirmed active exploitation of the flaw and urges users of FortiClient EMS 7.4.5 and 7.4.6 to install available hotfixes. A permanent fix will also be included in version 7.4.7.
Fortinet acknowledged Simo Kohonen from Defused and Nguyen Duc Anh for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability after observing active zero-day exploitation of the issue.
A few hours ago, Defused researchers warned that attackers are exploiting the FortiClient zero-day. No public POC exists yet; however, this exploit has roughly the same structure as the observed zero-day exploit. Experts recommend watching for traffic from unknown IPs showing X-SSL-CLIENT-VERIFY: SUCCESS.
— Defused (@DefusedCyber) April 6, 2026🚨 We are now observing further exploitation of the recent FortiClient zero-day (CVE-2026-35616)
No public POC exists to date, and this exploit has roughly the same structure as the observed zero-day exploit.
To identify potential compromise, defenders should look for… pic.twitter.com/hxEVre8bnf
According to Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, FCEB agencies have to address the identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect their networks against attacks exploiting the flaws in the catalog.
Experts also recommend that private organizations review the Catalog and address the vulnerabilities in their infrastructure.
CISA orders federal agencies to fix the vulnerability by April 9, 2026.
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