CVE-2026-79967 Overview
CVE-2026-79967 is an Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability [CWE-295] affecting Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG). 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. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the weakness to bypass protection mechanisms that rely on certificate trust validation. Dell published the fix in security advisory DSA-2026-382 covering multiple vulnerabilities in the Virtual Edition.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated network attacker to bypass certificate-based protection mechanisms, undermining the trust boundary between the SCG and connected systems.
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-2026-79967 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-09-09 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-79967
Vulnerability Analysis
Dell Secure Connect Gateway is a support and telemetry gateway that establishes outbound and inbound TLS connections between customer environments and Dell backend services. This vulnerability stems from improper validation of X.509 certificates presented during those connections. The gateway accepts certificates that should be rejected by a compliant TLS client, weakening the guarantee that the remote endpoint is authentic.
Because the attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction, an adversary positioned on the network path can present a crafted or otherwise untrusted certificate. The scope is unchanged, and the confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are limited but present. Attack complexity is high, reflecting the need for a suitable network position or specific conditions to trigger the flaw.
Root Cause
The root cause is classified as CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation). The SCG code path handling TLS peer verification does not fully enforce certificate chain, hostname, or trust anchor checks. As a result, certificates that fail one or more validation steps are still accepted, which breaks the protection mechanism the certificate check was designed to provide.
Attack Vector
An unauthenticated attacker with remote network access exploits the flaw by presenting an untrusted or improperly signed certificate to the vulnerable SCG component during TLS negotiation. Because the gateway does not correctly reject the certificate, the attacker can impersonate a trusted endpoint or downgrade the security of the session. This enables interception or manipulation of data exchanged over what should be a mutually authenticated channel.
No public proof-of-concept is available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS probability at publication is 0.105%.
No verified exploit code is available. See the Dell Security Advisory DSA-2026-382 for vendor technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-79967
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected TLS sessions to or from the SCG appliance terminating on certificates not issued by Dell's expected certificate authorities.
- SCG connectivity logs showing successful sessions with peers presenting self-signed, expired, or hostname-mismatched certificates.
- Anomalous outbound traffic patterns from the SCG to hosts outside Dell's published service endpoints.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect SCG audit and connection logs for TLS handshake anomalies, including unusual issuers, short-lived certificates, or repeated renegotiations.
- Correlate network flow data with the SCG's expected Dell service destinations, alerting on deviations.
- Compare installed SCG appliance and application versions against the fixed builds (5.36.00.16 and 5.36.00.00) during routine asset inventory scans.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable TLS certificate logging on network security devices between the SCG and the internet, and forward events to a centralized data lake for analysis.
- Monitor for man-in-the-middle indicators such as certificate pinning failures reported by adjacent monitoring systems.
- Alert on any configuration change or service restart on the SCG that is not associated with a scheduled maintenance window.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-79967
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance and Application deployments in the environment and record their current versions.
- Upgrade the SCG Appliance to version 5.36.00.16 or later, and the SCG Application to version 5.36.00.00 or later, as directed in DSA-2026-382.
- Restrict inbound and outbound network access to the SCG to only the addresses and ports required for Dell support communications.
Patch Information
Dell has released fixed builds for both the appliance and application form factors. Full remediation details, download locations, and upgrade procedures are documented in the Dell Security Advisory DSA-2026-382. Apply the vendor-provided update as the primary remediation.
Workarounds
- Place the SCG behind a network segment that enforces strict egress filtering to Dell service endpoints only.
- Terminate or inspect TLS at an upstream proxy that performs strong certificate validation until patches are applied.
- Increase monitoring frequency on the SCG and adjacent network devices during the remediation window.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.