New infostealer reaches enterprise devices through FortiClient EMS vulnerability
Incidents: Attackers exploit FortiClient EMS vulnerability (CVE-2026-35616) to deploy EKZ Infostealer via fake updates, stealing browser credentials and cookies.
Deep Analysis and Expert Commentary
The attack leverages CVE-2026-35616, a critical flaw in FortiClient EMS's API authentication, allowing unauthenticated HTTP requests to execute administrative actions. Threat actors manipulated endpoint policies to deploy EKZ Infostealer, a MinGW-compiled credential stealer targeting Chromium and Gecko browsers. The malware's broad data harvesting capability extends to autofill details, posing significant risks for financial and cloud service compromise. Mitigation requires immediate patching, log analysis for anomalous configuration changes, and credential rotation. The campaign's use of trusted update mechanisms underscores the need for robust integrity checks in software distribution workflows.
Action Items
- Patch FortiClient EMS immediately to address CVE-2026-35616.
- Review logs for unauthorized configuration changes or new accounts.
- Rotate all credentials and revoke sessions for affected endpoints.
Original Article Brief Intro
Help Net Security · 2026-05-29 · Incidents: Attackers exploit FortiClient EMS vulnerability (CVE-2026-35616) to deploy EKZ Infostealer via fake updates, stealing browser credentials and cookies.
Related Terms and Notes
CVE IDs
- CVE-2026-35616 — Improper access control vulnerability in FortiClient EMS allowing unauthenticated API requests.
Malware Families
- EKZ Infostealer — MinGW-compiled malware harvesting browser credentials and session cookies.
- Infostealer
Techniques / TTPs
- Browser Credential Theft
- Credential Theft
- Zero-Day
Context Notes
- API Vulnerability
- FortiClient
- FortiClient EMS