Description

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 Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to information disclosure.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "5.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-07T14:16:54.340Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-07T14:16:54.340Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) 5.0 Appliance and Application editions contain a critical vulnerability categorized as a Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key. This flaw allows a locally authenticated, low-privileged attacker to bypass intended cryptographic protections, facilitating unauthorized information disclosure.\nThe vulnerability stems from the inclusion of static, embedded cryptographic material within the software distribution. Because these keys are hard-coded, they are consistent across all installations, enabling an attacker to decrypt sensitive data or forge credentials if the key material is recovered via static analysis or reverse engineering of the appliance image or application binaries.\nThe risk is primarily localized, requiring an attacker to possess existing local access to the system environment. Upon successful exploitation, the integrity and confidentiality of protected information managed by the SCG software are compromised. Remediation requires an upgrade to the specified patched versions provided by Dell to rotate the keys and eliminate the static implementation.\nAffected products include 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). Organizations should prioritize patching to mitigate potential exposure and ensure secure cryptographic operations.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is rooted in the implementation of cryptographic routines within the Dell SCG 5.0 ecosystem, where static keys are embedded directly into the application binaries or associated configuration files. This practice contradicts secure development principles defined by CWE-321: Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key.\nIn the context of the Dell SCG appliance, these keys are typically utilized to encrypt sensitive stored data, secure internal communications, or protect configuration parameters. Because the key is constant across the entire product line, it does not rely on per-instance entropy, making it globally predictable once the key is extracted.\nExploitation follows a predictable flow: An attacker with low-privileged local access obtains the SCG binary or firmware image. Through reverse engineering—using tools such as disassemblers or hex editors—the attacker identifies the hard-coded cryptographic constants (e.g., AES keys, RSA private keys, or initialization vectors) used in the product's cryptographic library or data-at-rest modules. Once the key is extracted, the attacker can leverage these values to decrypt protected data stored on the appliance or application disk.\nThe vulnerability is particularly dangerous in multi-tenant or shared environments where local access might be obtained by unauthorized personnel or compromised accounts. The lack of dynamic key management or hardware-backed secure storage means that the cryptographic material remains static regardless of the installation lifecycle. By successfully recovering these hard-coded keys, an attacker can transition from low-privilege status to full information disclosure, potentially obtaining sensitive credentials, device telemetry, or authentication tokens that are otherwise encrypted for protection.\nThe attack vector requires initial local system access, which could be achieved via physical access or by exploiting secondary vulnerabilities in the operating system or services running on the appliance. Once local access is established, the attacker performs offline cryptanalysis or live memory analysis to isolate the routines that perform decryption operations, subsequently dumping the keys. Following extraction, the attacker can systematically bypass the encryption layers surrounding the SCG application data, leading to a complete compromise of the confidentiality of the gateway's sensitive information.\nThe affected versions include 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. The remediation involves updating to the designated versions where the hard-coded keys have been rotated and replaced with a more secure key management architecture."
}