CVE-2026-78013 in Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 10/09/2026
Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) Policy Manager, versions prior to 5.34.00.16, contains an Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default vulnerability. A high privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Denial of service, Information disclosure, and Protection mechanism bypass.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/09/2026
The Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager, specifically in versions prior to 5.34.00.16, is susceptible to a critical security flaw classified as an Initialization of a Resource with Insecure Default. This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to establish secure default configurations during its initialization phase. When the software starts or when specific components are loaded, it relies on configuration parameters that lack sufficient restrictions by default. Instead of enforcing strict access controls and encrypted communication channels out-of-the-box, the system permits operations under permissive settings unless explicitly overridden by an administrator who is aware of security best practices. This design oversight creates a significant attack surface for malicious actors targeting the management interface of the gateway infrastructure.
The primary technical implication of this insecure default initialization is that it allows high-privileged attackers with local access to manipulate the system's operational state in ways intended only for trusted administrators. Because the vulnerability requires local access and elevated privileges, it typically affects insiders or adversaries who have already compromised a host within the network segment where the Policy Manager resides. Once such an attacker gains this level of access, they can exploit the insecure defaults to bypass critical protection mechanisms that are supposed to safeguard sensitive data and system integrity. The lack of enforced secure defaults means that security controls may remain disabled or configured with weak parameters, effectively neutralizing many layers of defense provided by the gateway software itself.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, encompassing denial of service, information disclosure, and protection mechanism bypass. An attacker can exploit these insecure configurations to disrupt the availability of the Secure Connect Gateway services, leading to a denial of service that impacts network connectivity for users relying on the secure tunnel infrastructure. Furthermore, the ability to bypass protection mechanisms opens the door to significant data exfiltration risks. Sensitive configuration details, user credentials, or traffic logs stored within the Policy Manager could be accessed by unauthorized parties if default settings allow unencrypted access or overly broad read permissions. This compromises both confidentiality and integrity of the organizational network security posture.
From a classification perspective, this issue aligns with CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions, which describes situations where an object is created with inappropriate initial permissions that are more permissive than necessary. Additionally, the exploitation path relates to MITRE ATT&CK techniques involving Local Privilege Escalation and Defense Evasion, as attackers leverage misconfigurations to maintain persistence or move laterally without triggering standard security alerts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure-by-design principles in enterprise gateway software, where default states must inherently resist common attack vectors rather than relying solely on post-deployment hardening by administrators.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager versions prior to 5.34.00.16 should immediately apply the vendor-provided patch that addresses these insecure defaults. Until the update is applied, administrators must manually audit and restrict all default configurations, ensuring that administrative interfaces are not accessible from untrusted networks and that encryption protocols are strictly enforced for all management traffic. Regular security assessments and configuration audits against industry benchmarks such as CIS Benchmarks can help identify other potential misconfigurations within the environment. Continuous monitoring of system logs for unauthorized access attempts to policy settings is also recommended to detect any exploitation activity early in the kill chain.