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Secure Connect Gateway EUVDEUVD-2026-95573

| CVE-2026-78022 HIGH
Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open') (CWE-636)
2026-10-09 dell GHSA-55r5-qmgg-gm62
8.1
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as low-privileged user
  2. Delivery
    Send request that triggers fail-open check
  3. Exploit
    Protection mechanism fails open
  4. Execution
    Bypass authorization controls
  5. Impact
    Access/modify protected data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Fail-secure design
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires network reachability to the SCG Policy Manager and valid low-privileged credentials on it (CVSS PR:L), so this is NOT a pre-auth/unauthenticated flaw - an attacker must first hold a low-privilege account or session. The core condition is the 'failing open' behavior of CWE-636: a protection/authorization check that, on error or unexpected input, grants rather than denies access, letting the low-privileged actor bypass intended controls. No user interaction is needed (UI:N) and complexity is low (AC:L). Limiting factors for defenders: the requirement for an existing low-privileged account, the need for network access to the management interface (restricting exposure if the interface is not internet-facing or is network-segmented), and that affected deployments are those running SCG Policy Manager below the fixed version (confirm 5.34.00.16 vs 5.36.00.16 with Dell).

Impact

Signals are moderately conflicting and point to an elevated-but-not-emergency priority. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N, base 8.1 HIGH) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity bypass requiring only low privileges, yielding high confidentiality and integrity impact - consistent with a fail-open protection-mechanism bypass (CWE-636) that lets an already-authenticated low-privileged user escape authorization controls. However, exploitation-probability signals are weak and mutually reinforcing: EPSS is only 0.20% (9th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing, no public POC identified, and CISA SSVC scores Exploitation=none and Automatable=no (while Technical Impact=total, matching the C:H/I:H rating). So this is a genuinely impactful flaw but not currently under active or automatable exploitation - a 'high CVSS, low current real-world exploitation' profile that warrants prompt patching on exposed SCG Policy Manager instances rather than emergency response. One data conflict must be verified: the NVD/CVE description states the fix is 'versions prior to 5.34.00.16' while the ENISA EUVD lists the affected range as '<5.36.00.16' - the exact fixed version should be confirmed against the Dell advisory (DSA-2026-385) before remediation.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A low-privileged user with remote (network) access to the Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager interface triggers the condition under which a protection/authorization check fails open rather than denying access. Because the check defaults to 'allow' on error, the attacker bypasses the intended protection mechanism and gains access to protected data and functions normally restricted to higher-privileged roles. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified, and the low AC means no special timing or complex preconditions are needed once the actor has valid low-level credentials.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv2 – Oct 13, 2026

Protection mechanism bypass in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager (versions below the vendor-fixed release) lets a remote, low-privileged attacker who already holds valid credentials on the appliance defeat intended authorization controls via a 'failing open' error-handling flaw (CWE-636). Successful exploitation yields high confidentiality and integrity impact (CVSS 3.1 base 8.1, AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) with no availability impact. EPSS is low at 0.20% (9th percentile), CISA SSVC records no observed exploitation, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so priority is elevated-but-not-emergency, driven mainly by exposure of the management interface and the presence of low-privileged accounts.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Oct 09, 2026 - 09:35 CVSS 6.8

Protection-mechanism bypass in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager versions prior to 5.34.00.16 allows a remote attacker holding a valid low-privileged account to defeat a security control by driving it into a failure state where it defaults to allow rather than deny, yielding high confidentiality and integrity impact with no availability effect (CVSS 3.1 base 6.8, AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N). The issue is classified as CWE-636, Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open'), so the weakness is in error handling rather than in a memory-safety or injection flaw, and exploitation depends on meeting specific non-default timing or error conditions (AC:H) rather than simply sending a crafted request. Independent assessment rates this as a moderate-priority hardening issue, not an emergency: credentials are mandatory (no unauthenticated path), no availability impact exists, and there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis; Dell has published advisory DSA-2026-385 with a fixed release, 5.34.00.16.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: Dell has published a security update for this issue; upgrade SCG Policy Manager to the fixed build referenced in Dell advisory DSA-2026-385 (https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-ca/000503592/dsa-2026-385-security-update-for-dell-secure-connect-gateway-policy-manager-multiple-vulnerabilities), noting that the CVE description cites prior to 5.34.00.16 while EUVD lists <5.36.00.16, so confirm the exact target version with Dell before closing the finding. Until the upgrade is applied, the most effective compensating control is to restrict network reachability to the SCG Policy Manager management interface using firewall rules, ACLs, or VLAN segmentation so that only trusted administrative networks can reach it; the trade-off is loss of remote administrative convenience for legitimate operators. Additionally, audit and minimize low-privileged accounts on the appliance, remove or disable unused accounts, and monitor for authorization anomalies or privilege changes originating from low-privilege sessions, since the flaw requires an existing low-privileged credential to exploit; these measures reduce but do not eliminate the bypass because they do not correct the underlying failing-open control logic. Avoid exposing the management interface directly to the internet, as that would remove the primary limiting factor identified in this assessment.

Affected VersionsENISA

Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager 0 <5.36.00.16 or later

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The root cause class is CWE-636, 'Not Failing Securely (Failing Open),' an error-handling defect in which a protection or authorization check that encounters an error, an unexpected input, or an unhandled execution path returns a permissive result instead of denying access. In SCG Policy Manager this means a low-privileged authenticated user can manipulate error or edge-case conditions so that a permission gate fails open, bypassing the intended role or policy restriction. The attack surface is the network-facing management interface of the SCG Policy Manager appliance, tracked by the CPE cpe:2.3:a:dell:secure_connect_gateway_(scg)_policy_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, consistent with the CVSS vector's AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N profile: reachable over the network, low complexity, requiring an existing low-privilege account, and needing no user interaction. Because the failure is in the control-check logic rather than in input parsing, it is not a memory-safety or injection issue, and the impact is bounded to confidentiality and integrity (C:H/I:H) with no availability effect, matching the independent assessment rather than a broader system-compromise scenario.

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Severity by source

Vendor (dell) PRIMARY MEDIUM
NVD 8.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
vuln.today AI 8.1 HIGH

Network-reachable (AV:N) low-complexity bypass needing an existing low-privileged account (PR:L), no user interaction; fail-open authorization grants high confidentiality and integrity impact with no availability effect.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (dell).

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

3
Severity Changed
Oct 13, 2026 - 16:52 NVD
MEDIUM HIGH
CVSS changed
Oct 13, 2026 - 16:52 NVD
6.8 (MEDIUM) 8.1 (HIGH)
Patch available
Oct 09, 2026 - 10:16 EUVD

DescriptionNVD

Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager, versions prior to 5.34.00.16, contains a Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open') vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Protection mechanism bypass.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager contains an authorization bypass that allows an authenticated low-privileged user to defeat access controls and gain high confidentiality and integrity impact on the appliance. While no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and EPSS is low, the exposure of management interfaces and the prevalence of low-privileged accounts across the organization elevate the risk of insider or compromised-credential abuse. Leadership should prioritize patching because unauthorized changes to gateway policies could disrupt critical infrastructure management and expose sensitive configuration data.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 91% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
Dell-specific remote support gateway, moderate enterprise footprint among Dell infrastructure customers
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

40
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +40
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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