PULSE NAME
FortiClient EMS Exploited via CVE-2026-35616 to Deliver EKZ Infostealer Disguised as a Fortinet Patch
WHITE AlienVault 2026-05-28 Modified: 2026-05-29
10
IOCs
LOW VOLUME
In May 2026, threat actors exploited CVE-2026-35616, an improper access control vulnerability in FortiClient Endpoint Management Server (EMS), to bypass API authentication and execute privileged requests without credentials. Attackers leveraged trusted endpoint management infrastructure to push malicious PowerShell scripts disguised as legitimate Fortinet patches across managed endpoints. The campaign deployed EKZ Infostealer, a credential-stealing tool targeting Chrome, Firefox, and other browser credentials. The stealer extracts passwords, cookies, and autofill data, staging results locally before exfiltration via HTTP to threat-actor-controlled infrastructure. Threat actors accessed systems through Tor exit nodes, modified VPN configurations to enable script execution, and used FortiClient's own management pathways to distribute payloads fleet-wide without requiring individual endpoint compromises.
MITRE ATT&CK & Malware Families
MALWARE FAMILIES
EKZ Infostealer
Indicators of Compromise (2 / 10 total)
All CVE FileHash-MD5 FileHash-SHA1 FileHash-SHA256
TYPEINDICATORDESCRIPTIONCREATED
FileHash-MD5 338662fd0c4d750a0ba203a32b59f081 2026-05-28
FileHash-MD5 8c5b72906e8183037532afc3f4639931 2026-05-28