Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privileged local account on SCG host
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DeliveryLocate mis-permissioned critical resource
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ExploitWin race / meet complexity condition
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ExecutionOverwrite or hijack the resource
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ImpactEscalate to elevated privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Permission assignment review
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the attacker to already have local, low-privileged access (PR:L, AV:L) to a host running Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager prior to 5.34.00.16 - it is not remotely or unauthenticated-exploitable. Exploitation is further limited by high attack complexity (AC:H), implying a race condition or specific system state must be met, and by the need for the vulnerable mis-permissioned critical resource to be present in the deployed configuration. No user interaction is required (UI:N). |
| Impact | This is a locally-exploitable privilege-escalation flaw (CWE-732, Incorrect Permission Assignment) in Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager, patched in 5.34.00.16 per Dell advisory DSA-2026-385. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8) confirms it requires LOCAL access and pre-existing low privileges (PR:L) on the host - this is not remotely reachable and cannot be triggered by an unauthenticated network attacker. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC were provided, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. The realistic risk is therefore MODERATE-and-conditional: high technical impact (full C/I/A once triggered) but gated behind local access plus, per Dell, high attack complexity (AC:H) suggesting a race condition or specific timing/state requirement. Note a possible inconsistency: Dell rates S:C (scope change) yet a permission-assignment EoP typically stays within one security authority (S:U) - verify with vendor whether the flaw crosses a scope boundary, as this materially affects the 7.8 score. Prioritize as a patch-in-normal-cycle host-hardening issue, not an emergency, unless the appliance hosts untrusted local users. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local user who already has low-privileged shell or account access to the SCG Policy Manager host abuses a critical resource (file, directory, or service object) that was created with overly permissive access rights, modifying or replacing it to run code or gain access as a higher-privileged account. Because attack complexity is rated high, success likely depends on winning a race or hitting a specific system state. No public proof-of-concept exploit was identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 29, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager versions prior to 5.34.00.16 lets a low-privileged local user raise their privileges by abusing incorrectly assigned permissions on a critical resource. The flaw is not remotely or unauthenticated-exploitable: an attacker must already hold local, low-privileged access to the host (PR:L, AV:L), and exploitation additionally depends on a high-complexity precondition such as a race condition or a specific system state (AC:H) plus the mis-permissioned resource being present in the deployed configuration. No user interaction is required, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis; Dell has released a fix in 5.34.00.16 via advisory DSA-2026-385.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager to version 5.34.00.16 or later, the fixed version identified in Dell advisory DSA-2026-385 (KB 000503592, https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-ca/000503592/dsa-2026-385-security-update-for-dell-secure-connect-gateway-policy-manager-multiple-vulnerabilities); because the advisory bundles multiple vulnerabilities, apply the full 5.34.00.16 update rather than attempting a partial fix, and confirm the new build number after the update since exploitation depends on the old permission assignments being replaced. If the update cannot be applied immediately, the primary compensating control is to restrict local interactive and service-account access to the SCG Policy Manager host so that only fully trusted administrators can log on - this removes the PR:L precondition entirely, but it costs operational flexibility and requires disciplined account hygiene, since any leftover low-privileged local account re-opens the exposure. Additionally, review and tighten filesystem and directory ACLs on the product's installation, configuration, log, and service-binary paths so that non-administrative principals cannot write to resources loaded or executed by privileged SCG services; note that ad-hoc ACL hardening is easily reverted by a subsequent product update or service reinstall and must be re-validated after any maintenance. Because exploitation has a high-complexity component (AC:H), monitoring for anomalous local privilege changes, unexpected file modifications in product directories, and unusual service restarts can provide detection coverage in the interim, but such monitoring is a detective, not preventive, control and should not replace patching.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), meaning the product ships or configures a security-relevant file, directory, service, registry key, or shared resource with permissions that are broader than the principle of least privilege allows - for example a writable configuration or binary path reachable by a non-administrative principal. In the SCG Policy Manager appliance context, this class of bug typically means a low-privileged local account can overwrite, replace, or tamper with a resource that a higher-privileged service later loads or executes, converting weak ACLs into code execution or configuration takeover at elevated rights. The CPE entry cpe:2.3:a:dell:secure_connect_gateway_(scg)_policy_manager with a wildcard version confirms the affected component is the SCG Policy Manager product line, with the fixed boundary at 5.34.00.16. The assessed vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates that successful exploitation yields high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact within the same security scope as the attacker's existing foothold, so the end result is full control of the local host under the compromised service's privileges rather than a cross-scope escape. The high attack-complexity rating suggests the attacker must win a race or hit a narrow window/system state before the permission weakness can be leveraged reliably.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local access and existing low privilege give AV:L/PR:L; high complexity retained per vendor; scope set S:U as a permission EoP typically stays within one authority; full C/I/A on successful escalation.
Primary rating from Vendor (dell).
CVSS VectorVendor: dell
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager, versions prior to 5.34.00.16, contains an Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of privileges.
Executive ViewAI
A local privilege-escalation flaw in Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager (versions prior to 5.34.00.16) allows anyone who already holds a low-privileged account on a gateway host to elevate to full system control, potentially exposing the management plane that oversees Dell infrastructure across the estate. Because exploitation requires an existing foothold on the appliance and a difficult-to-arrange system condition, this is primarily a risk-amplifier for environments where gateways are broadly accessible to insiders, contractors, or compromised service accounts. Leadership should care because a single elevated gateway can become a pivot point into downstream infrastructure management, and remediation involves scheduled maintenance on business-critical monitoring hosts.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Weak authentication throttling in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager allows unauthenticated remote attacke
Privilege escalation, filesystem access, and remote code execution in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager a
Authorization bypass in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager lets an authenticated, low-privileged user tamp
Improper X.509 certificate validation in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager lets an unauthenticated attack
Privilege escalation in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager allows an authenticated, network-reachable low-
Elevation of privilege in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager lets an attacker who already holds a valid lo
Improper TLS certificate validation in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager lets a man-in-the-middle who alr
Server-side request forgery in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager allows a remote attacker who already hol
Protection mechanism bypass in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager (versions below the vendor-fixed release
Cross-site request forgery in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager prior to the vendor-fixed build allows a
Unauthenticated remote attackers can reach a critical function in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager witho
Information exposure in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager affects all deployments running versions prior
EUVD-2026-88749
GHSA-crgg-m88m-vjfx
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB