CVE-2026-79962 Overview
CVE-2026-79962 is a race condition vulnerability in Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) 5.0. The flaw affects SCG 5.0 Appliance versions prior to 5.36.00.16 and SCG 5.0 Application versions prior to 5.36.00.00. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit concurrent execution on a shared resource with improper synchronization to trigger denial of service. The weakness is classified under [CWE-567: Unsynchronized Access to Shared Data in a Multithreaded Context].
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation disrupts availability of the Secure Connect Gateway, breaking the remote support and telemetry channel between Dell infrastructure and Dell services.
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 Secure Connect Gateway Virtual Edition
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-09-09 - CVE-2026-79962 published to NVD
- 2026-09-09 - Last updated in NVD database
- 2026-09-09 - Dell publishes advisory DSA-2026-382
Technical Details for CVE-2026-79962
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability arises from concurrent execution paths accessing a shared resource without proper synchronization. When multiple requests interact with the same resource simultaneously, the race window allows one execution flow to invalidate assumptions made by another. This produces inconsistent state that the application cannot recover from gracefully, leading to service disruption on the Secure Connect Gateway.
Because the vulnerability is reachable over the network without authentication, an attacker only requires reachability to the SCG service. However, the high attack complexity reflects the timing precision needed to reliably win the race and induce the fault condition.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper synchronization around a shared resource in the SCG codebase [CWE-567]. Concurrent threads or request handlers can read or mutate the resource simultaneously, producing an inconsistent state that the application logic does not handle. See the Dell advisory for technical specifics.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An unauthenticated attacker sends carefully timed concurrent requests to the SCG service to trigger the race window. Successful exploitation results in denial of service, disrupting telemetry, remote support, and dispatch workflows that depend on the gateway.
No public proof-of-concept code or exploit is available. Refer to the Dell Security Update DSA-2026-382 for vendor-provided technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-79962
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected SCG process crashes, restarts, or hangs on the appliance or application host.
- Bursts of concurrent, near-simultaneous requests targeting the same SCG endpoint from a single or small set of source addresses.
- Gaps in telemetry, heartbeat, or dispatch traffic between managed Dell devices and Dell backend services.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor SCG service logs for abnormal error patterns, stack traces, and abrupt worker termination events.
- Baseline normal request concurrency to the SCG service and alert on statistical deviations.
- Correlate SCG availability alerts with network-layer traffic captures to identify attacker source addresses.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Configure health checks against the SCG management and telemetry endpoints with alerting on repeated failures.
- Forward SCG appliance and application logs to a centralized log platform for retention and analysis.
- Track version inventory to confirm all SCG instances meet the fixed versions 5.36.00.16 (Appliance) and 5.36.00.00 (Application).
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-79962
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance to version 5.36.00.16 or later.
- Upgrade Dell SCG 5.0 Application to version 5.36.00.00 or later.
- Restrict network access to the SCG management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only.
- Review SCG logs for prior instability that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Patch Information
Dell has released fixed builds addressed in DSA-2026-382. Apply the vendor-supplied update packages to both the Appliance and Application editions of Secure Connect Gateway 5.0.
Workarounds
- Place SCG behind network segmentation and firewall rules that restrict inbound access to known administrative sources.
- Implement rate limiting and connection throttling on upstream network devices fronting the SCG service.
- Monitor for and terminate anomalous concurrent connection floods targeting the gateway until patching is complete.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
