CVE-2026-79945 Overview
CVE-2026-79945 is an OS Command Injection vulnerability [CWE-77] affecting Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) 5.0. The flaw exists in 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. A low-privileged attacker with local access can inject operating system commands through improperly neutralized special elements. Successful exploitation results in command execution in the context of the vulnerable component. Dell published fixed releases in advisory DSA-2026-382.
Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged attacker can execute arbitrary operating system commands on the Dell SCG appliance, exposing sensitive configuration and connected support telemetry.
Affected Products
- Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance versions prior to 5.36.00.16
- Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Application versions prior to 5.36.00.00
- Dell SCG Virtual Edition (per DSA-2026-382)
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-09-09 - CVE-2026-79945 published to NVD
- 2026-09-09 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-79945
Vulnerability Analysis
Dell Secure Connect Gateway is the remote support and telemetry channel between Dell infrastructure and Dell's support back end. The affected versions fail to properly neutralize special elements passed into an operating system command constructed by the appliance. When the vulnerable code path builds a shell command using attacker-controlled input, shell metacharacters break out of the intended argument context. The result is arbitrary command execution under the privileges of the SCG process.
The attack requires local access to the appliance and a low-privileged authenticated account. No user interaction is required, and exploitation impacts confidentiality of data reachable by the SCG service.
Root Cause
The root cause is Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command [CWE-77]. The vulnerable component concatenates untrusted input into a shell command string rather than passing arguments through a safe execution primitive. Characters such as ;, |, backticks, and $() are not stripped or escaped before the command is handed to the operating system shell.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access to the SCG appliance with valid low-privileged credentials. The attacker submits crafted input containing shell metacharacters to a function that invokes an OS command. The injected payload executes alongside the intended command, giving the attacker command execution in the SCG process context. Refer to the Dell Security Update DSA-2026-382 for vendor-provided technical details.
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Stop Exploit AttemptsDetection Methods for CVE-2026-79945
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected child processes spawned by the SCG service, particularly shells such as /bin/sh or /bin/bash with unusual argument strings.
- Shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, backticks, $()) appearing in SCG application logs where user input is recorded.
- Outbound network connections from the SCG appliance to destinations outside the documented Dell support endpoints.
Detection Strategies
- Review SCG audit logs for low-privileged account activity that precedes process execution anomalies on the appliance.
- Correlate authentication events on the SCG with subsequent shell invocations to identify command injection attempts.
- Baseline the normal process tree of the SCG service and alert on deviations, including any interpreter or utility not part of the documented runtime.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward SCG appliance logs and process telemetry to a centralized SIEM for retention and correlation.
- Monitor filesystem changes under SCG working directories for unexpected script drops or binary modifications.
- Track privileged command execution and outbound egress from the SCG virtual appliance segment.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-79945
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance to version 5.36.00.16 or later, and Dell SCG 5.0 Application to version 5.36.00.00 or later.
- Audit local accounts on the SCG appliance and remove any low-privileged accounts that are not required for operations.
- Restrict network and console access to the SCG management interfaces to trusted administrators only.
Patch Information
Dell has released fixed versions as documented in Dell Security Update DSA-2026-382. Apply Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance 5.36.00.16 or Dell SCG 5.0 Application 5.36.00.00 to remediate CVE-2026-79945. Follow the vendor's upgrade procedure for the virtual edition to preserve support connectivity configuration.
Workarounds
- Limit local logon to the SCG appliance to a minimal set of administrator accounts pending patch deployment.
- Place the SCG appliance in a segmented management VLAN with strict access control lists.
- Enable enhanced logging on the SCG appliance and forward events to a centralized log store for review.
# Verify installed Dell SCG version before and after upgrade
# Consult DSA-2026-382 for the vendor-supported upgrade procedure
cat /opt/dell/scg/VERSION 2>/dev/null || echo "Version file not found - use SCG admin console"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
