CISA KEV Critical Authentication

CVE-2026-16232 — Check Point SmartConsole Improper Authentication Vulnerability

An authentication bypass vulnerability in the Check Point SmartConsole login process allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to obtain an application login token and use it to authenticate with full administrative privileges. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to modify security policies and security configurations. Remote exploitation requires internet access to the Management Server IP address and a configuration that does not restrict Trusted Clients. Check Point is aware that this vulnerability is being exploited and has affected a very small number of customers.

Published Jul 22, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, NIST National Vulnerability Database, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: checkpoint

Urgent

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

CISA KEV · Jul 22, 2026 Detection templates (Nuclei) · 1 Metasploit modules · 1 Proofs of concept on GitHub · 3

How the score was calculated

Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
Public exploit/PoC (nuclei, metasploit, github)+20
EPSS 78% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
Technical severity (critical)+10
Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation

Confirmed

CISA KEV, listed Jul 22, 2026

EPSS FIRST

77.97%

ahead of 100% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026

Affects

Checkpoint

Multi-domain Security Management and 1 more

CVSS base

9.8

Critical · 4 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation

Active

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

Yes

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

Documented patch — support.checkpoint.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

CISA required action CISA

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

US federal deadline: Jul 25, 2026 — passed 82 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Checkpoint Multi-domain Security Management, Checkpoint Quantum Security Management).
Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (authentication), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Checkpoint	Multi-domain Security Management	version R82.10 with Jumbo Hotfix Take 36 or belowversion R82 with Jumbo Hotfix Take 118 or belowversion R81.20 with Jumbo Hotfix Take 158 or belowversion R81.10, R81, R80.30, R80.20, R80.10, R80, and R77.30	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Checkpoint	Multi-domain Security Management	≥ r77.30 and < r81.20version r81.20version r81.20-take_10version r81.20-take_101version r81.20-take_103version r81.20-take_105version r81.20-take_111version r81.20-take_113 and 53 more version r81.20-take_115version r81.20-take_118version r81.20-take_119version r81.20-take_120version r81.20-take_122version r81.20-take_126version r81.20-take_127version r81.20-take_14version r81.20-take_141version r81.20-take_146version r81.20-take_24version r81.20-take_26version r81.20-take_38version r81.20-take_41version r81.20-take_43version r81.20-take_45version r81.20-take_53version r81.20-take_54version r81.20-take_65version r81.20-take_70version r81.20-take_76version r81.20-take_79version r81.20-take_8version r81.20-take_84version r81.20-take_89version r81.20-take_90version r81.20-take_92version r81.20-take_96version r81.20-take_98version r81.20-take_99version r82version r82-take_10version r82-take_103version r82-take_107version r82-take_12version r82-take_14version r82-take_18version r82-take_19version r82-take_25version r82-take_33version r82-take_34version r82-take_36version r82-take_39version r82-take_41version r82-take_43version r82-take_44version r82-take_60version r82-take_73version r82-take_91version r82.10version r82.10-take_19version r82.10-take_24version r82.10-take_6	Vulnerable	NIST National Vulnerability Database
Checkpoint	Quantum Security Management	version R82.10 with Jumbo Hotfix Take 36 or belowversion R82 with Jumbo Hotfix Take 118 or belowversion R81.20 with Jumbo Hotfix Take 158 or belowversion R81.10, R81, R80.30, R80.20, R80.10, R80, and R77.30	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Checkpoint	Quantum Security Management	≥ r77.30 and < r81.20version r81.20version r81.20-take_10version r81.20-take_101version r81.20-take_103version r81.20-take_105version r81.20-take_111version r81.20-take_113 and 53 more version r81.20-take_115version r81.20-take_118version r81.20-take_119version r81.20-take_120version r81.20-take_122version r81.20-take_126version r81.20-take_127version r81.20-take_14version r81.20-take_141version r81.20-take_146version r81.20-take_24version r81.20-take_26version r81.20-take_38version r81.20-take_41version r81.20-take_43version r81.20-take_45version r81.20-take_53version r81.20-take_54version r81.20-take_65version r81.20-take_70version r81.20-take_76version r81.20-take_79version r81.20-take_8version r81.20-take_84version r81.20-take_89version r81.20-take_90version r81.20-take_92version r81.20-take_96version r81.20-take_98version r81.20-take_99version r82version r82-take_10version r82-take_103version r82-take_107version r82-take_12version r82-take_14version r82-take_18version r82-take_19version r82-take_25version r82-take_33version r82-take_34version r82-take_36version r82-take_39version r82-take_41version r82-take_43version r82-take_44version r82-take_60version r82-take_73version r82-take_91version r82.10version r82.10-take_19version r82.10-take_24version r82.10-take_6	Vulnerable	NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector

Network

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
9.3	CVSS 4.0	Critical	—	—	cve@checkpoint.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.3	CVSS 4.0	Critical	—	—	checkpoint via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
9.8	CVSS 3.1	Critical	3.9	5.9	nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.1	CVSS 3.1	Critical	—	—	GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Sources assign different scores within the same severity band. For prioritization we use 9.8 (NVD (NIST)) as a conservative provisional reference — not a definitive official score.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-287 · Improper Authentication

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

Listed

Jul 22, 2026

Federal deadline

Jul 25, 2026

passed 82 day(s) ago

Ransomware use

Unknown

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Detection templates (Nuclei)

Check Point Security Management Server - SmartConsole Authentication Bypass

Metasploit modules

Check Point SmartConsole Authentication Bypass Run Script RCE excellent Jul 22, 2026

Proofs of concept on GitHub

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 77.97%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
Review authentication logs: logins without MFA, anomalous sessions and recently created accounts.
Hunt retroactively in logs from before Jul 22, 2026 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.

web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSauthentication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Fix documented
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Affected products added · checkpoint/multi-domain security management, checkpoint/quantum security management
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS changed · 9.3 → 9.8
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · Published → Analyzed
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record published
Oct 13, 2026
Affected products added · checkpoint/quantum security management, checkpoint/multi-domain security management
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS changed · 9.3
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Source status changed · → Published
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Added to CISA KEV (detected)
Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Record created in this database
Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
CVE published
Jul 22, 2026 · checkpoint
Added to CISA KEV catalog
Jul 21, 2026 · CISA

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

3× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

5 on the record

support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk185169
Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
github.com/advisories/GHSA-m2xx-23gx-734v
GitHub Security Advisories
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16232
GitHub Security Advisories
vincent.vulcoord.net/score/
GitHub Security Advisories

Elsewhere on this site

Checkpoint
every CVE for this vendor

2026-07
what else CISA listed that month

Authentication
same class

CWE-287
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

Critical CVE-2026-93616 Check Point Multiple Products Path Traversal Vulnerability KEV 23d
Critical CVE-2026-62144 Management Authentication Bypass and Privilege Escalation Jul 22, 2026
High CVE-2026-62145 Local Privilege Escalation in Gaia Portal Jul 22, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-48136 Authenticated Administrator Role-Based Access Control Bypass in Compliance May 26, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-16232 is "Check Point SmartConsole Improper Authentication Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Multi-domain Security Management (Checkpoint); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 77.97% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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