Is CVE-2026-35616 actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2026-35616 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed.

Can CVE-2026-35616 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2026-35616 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35616?

CVE-2026-35616 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-35616

CRITICALCISA KEVIN THE WILD

CVE-2026-35616

CWE-284Published: April 4, 2026· Updated: Apr 6, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

EPSS:5.95%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:90.6th

Official Description

A improper access control vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClientEMS 7.4.5 through 7.4.6 may allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted requests.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-35616 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CISA has added CVE-2026-35616 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.None

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Fortinet1 product

forticlientems

Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

ACTIVE EXPLOITATIONConfirmed exploitation in the wild

Exploit-DB

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

PacketStorm

Security advisories & exploits

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://fortiguard.fortinet.com/psirt/FG-IR-26-099

News & Research Mentioning CVE-2026-35616

Hackers exploit FortiClient EMS flaw to push infostealer malware

BleepingComputer· May 28, 2026

Hackers are exploiting an authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2026-35616) in FortiClient Enterprise Management Server (EMS) to deliver an undocumented credential stealer called EKZ. [...] [xlite_meta score:64 src:BleepingComputer xlite_fp:db604348df3dae30344e2a497a4c5a606a06b8721c783e61eebef83aab21402e]

CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog

CISA Alerts· Apr 6, 2026

CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. CVE-2026-35616 - Fortinet FortiClient EMS Improper Access Control Vulnerability This type of vulnerability is a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and poses significant risks to the federal enterprise. Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities established the KEV Catalog as a living list of known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) that carry significant risk to the federal enterprise. BOD 22-01 requires Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to remediate identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect FCEB networks [xlite_meta score:58 src:CISA Alerts xlite_fp:233ffbb38f49108e6d20ba2e5ed0cdded1dbe3c3cec7ed6e086fdfd1300b90f0]

Fortinet Patches Actively Exploited CVE-2026-35616 in FortiClient EMS

The Hacker News· Apr 5, 2026

Fortinet has released out-of-band patches for a critical security flaw impacting FortiClient EMS that it said has been exploited in the wild. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-35616 (CVSS score: 9.1), has been described as a pre-authentication API access bypass leading to privilege escalation. "An improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] in FortiClient EMS may allow an [xlite_meta score:59 src:The Hacker News xlite_fp:b35e60a37c07fa1b7e841f244c5174ba8612ce7eb1b5c272c55cbd8eb073c32f]