CVE-2026-78022 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 a Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open') vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Protection mechanism bypass.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/09/2026
The Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager, specifically in versions prior to 5.34.00.16, exhibits a critical security flaw characterized as failing open or not failing securely. This architectural weakness fundamentally undermines the integrity of the access control mechanisms within the gateway infrastructure. In secure system design principles, when a component encounters an error condition during authentication or authorization processes, it must default to a deny state to prevent unauthorized access. However, in this specific implementation, the failure mode is configured such that if the policy evaluation engine encounters an unexpected state, missing configuration data, or internal processing error, it defaults to allowing the connection rather than blocking it. This deviation from secure-by-design principles creates a significant gap in the defense-in-depth strategy employed by enterprise security gateways.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows for a bypass of protection mechanisms that are intended to restrict network traffic based on predefined policies. An attacker with low-privileged remote access can potentially trigger conditions within the Policy Manager that cause it to fail open. This could be achieved through malformed requests, specific timing attacks, or by exploiting race conditions in the policy evaluation logic. Once the system fails open, the security controls that would normally inspect and filter traffic are effectively disabled for that session or connection attempt. Consequently, malicious payloads, unauthorized administrative commands, or data exfiltration attempts can traverse the gateway without being inspected or blocked by standard intrusion prevention systems or access control lists configured within the Policy Manager.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it directly compromises the confidentiality and integrity of network communications managed by the Dell Secure Connect Gateway. By bypassing protection mechanisms, an attacker gains the ability to move laterally across segmented networks that rely on these gateways for segmentation enforcement. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive internal resources, including databases, application servers, and management interfaces. Furthermore, because the vulnerability affects low-privileged accounts, it lowers the barrier to entry significantly compared to vulnerabilities requiring high-level administrative privileges. Attackers who have already gained a foothold in the network through phishing or other initial access vectors can leverage this flaw to escalate their impact and expand their reach within the environment without triggering typical security alerts associated with privilege escalation attempts.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) ID 693, which describes Protection Mechanism Failure where a system fails to protect resources from unauthorized actions due to an error in its protection mechanisms. Additionally, it relates to CWE-250, the execution of code with unnecessary privileges, as the bypass allows operations that should be restricted by policy to proceed freely. In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this flaw facilitates techniques such as Defense Evasion (T1564), specifically hiding or disabling security tools and mechanisms, and potentially Accessing Remote Services (T1021) if it leads to unauthorized remote administrative access. The ability to bypass controls is a critical enabler for subsequent stages of an attack chain, including credential dumping and lateral movement.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running Dell Secure Connect Gateway Policy Manager must prioritize the immediate application of vendor-provided patches that address version 5.34.00.16 or later. Until patching can be implemented in production environments, network administrators should implement compensating controls such as strict firewall rules at the perimeter to limit exposure to untrusted networks and enforce multi-factor authentication for all administrative access points. Continuous monitoring of gateway logs for anomalous connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts is also recommended. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing can help identify if similar failure modes exist in other components of the security infrastructure, ensuring a more robust posture against evolving threats.