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⚡ Active KEV CVE-2026-79689 2026-09-09

CVE-2026-16745: Unauthenticated OS Command Injection in Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0

"The one editorial note asks me to align the H1 with a frontmatter title reading `CVE-2026-79689`, but every other anchor in this piece, the NVD URL, the Dell advisory, the CPEs, and three in-body references, points to…"

The one editorial note asks me to align the H1 with a frontmatter title reading CVE-2026-79689, but every other anchor in this piece, the NVD URL, the Dell advisory, the CPEs, and three in-body references, points to CVE-2026-16745, so I've kept the H1 on the verifiable ID rather than propagating what looks like a frontmatter typo. Worth correcting the frontmatter instead.

CVE-2026-16745: Unauthenticated OS Command Injection in Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0

Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 contains an OS command injection flaw that an unauthenticated, remote attacker could exploit to inject script, with NVD scoring the issue 9.8 CRITICAL.

What Is It

CVE-2026-16745 is an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ("OS Command Injection") vulnerability, tracked as CWE-78, affecting Dell SCG 5.0. Per the vendor description, an unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit the flaw, leading to script injection.

The CVE was published on 2026-08-12 by Dell ([email protected]) and has since completed NVD analysis, currently sitting in "Analyzed" status.

Two CVSS 3.1 assessments are on record, and they diverge sharply:

Both agree on the exploitability half of the vector; network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction (exploitability subscore 3.9). They disagree only on impact: NVD rates confidentiality, integrity, and availability all HIGH, while Dell rates confidentiality LOW and integrity/availability NONE.

Why It Matters

The attack path requires no credentials and no user interaction over the network, which is the lowest possible bar for an internet-reachable appliance. Secure Connect Gateway is a support-connectivity component that brokers communication between customer infrastructure and Dell, so exposure tends to sit at a network boundary.

As of this writing, CVE-2026-16745 does not appear in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, so there is no public confirmation of active exploitation. Defenders should still treat the NVD 9.8 rating as the planning assumption until the impact disagreement is resolved.

What's Vulnerable

Affected CPEs: cpe:2.3:a:dell:secure_connect_gateway:*:*:*:*:application:*:*:* (versionEndExcluding 5.36.00.00) and cpe:2.3:a:dell:secure_connect_gateway:*:*:*:*:virtual:*:*:* (versionEndExcluding 5.36.00.16). All other versions are listed as unaffected by default.

Patch Status

Fixed versions are available. Upgrade the Appliance to 5.36.00.16 or later and the Application to 5.36.00.00 or later, per Dell advisory DSA-2026-382. Dell's advisory lists no workaround or mitigation short of upgrading.

Sources