CVE-2026-80127 in Secure Connect Gateway
Summary
by MITRE • 09/07/2026
Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance versions prior to 5.36.00.16 and Dell SCG 5.0 Application versions prior to 5.36.00.00, contains an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability. A high privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to elevation of privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance software ecosystem, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.36.00.16 for the appliance and prior to 5.36.00.00 for the application component. This vulnerability is classified as an OS Command Injection, a critical category of security weakness where untrusted data is concatenated into operating system commands without adequate sanitization or validation. The core technical deficiency lies in the failure to properly neutralize special elements that have meaning within the context of shell command execution. When user-supplied input containing metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, pipes, or backticks is processed by the application logic and subsequently passed directly to a system-level interpreter like bash or sh, it allows an attacker to alter the intended structure of the command. This misconfiguration enables the injection of arbitrary operating system commands that execute with the privileges of the underlying service account running the Dell SCG software.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk because it facilitates privilege escalation within the affected environment. Although exploitation requires the attacker to possess high-level administrative credentials and remote access capabilities initially, the successful execution of injected commands grants them full control over the host operating system. This effectively bypasses any remaining application-layer security controls, allowing the adversary to read sensitive configuration files, exfiltrate stored data, modify system settings, or use the compromised appliance as a pivot point for further lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially leading to complete compromise of storage management operations and associated data integrity if critical system utilities are manipulated through this vector.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-78, which defines Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command. It also maps directly to the MITRE ATT&CK framework technique T1059, specifically sub-technique 004 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: Unix Shell Abuse. The attack pattern typically involves crafting a malicious input string that terminates the original command argument and initiates a new command sequence, thereby achieving arbitrary code execution on the target host. Security professionals must recognize that even with high-level authentication requirements in place, this flaw undermines the principle of least privilege by allowing authenticated users to execute commands outside their intended scope via system interpreter abuse.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running Dell SCG 5.0 appliances or applications should immediately apply the vendor-recommended patches updating the software to version 5.36.00.16 for appliances and 5.36.00.00 for applications respectively. These updates contain code changes that implement proper input validation, output encoding, and parameterization of system calls to prevent shell metacharacters from being interpreted as command operators. In addition to patching, administrators should enforce strict network segmentation policies to limit remote access to management interfaces only through trusted networks or secure virtual private networks. Implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts adds an additional layer of defense against credential theft that could precede exploitation of this vulnerability. Continuous monitoring of system logs for unusual command execution patterns can also aid in the detection of attempted exploits before they result in full compromise.