# CVE-2026-78481: Dell Secure Connect Gateway hard-coded cryptographic key

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-78481-dell-secure-connect-gateway-hard-coded-cryptographic-key  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-09. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-78481 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-09-09

Dell Secure Connect Gateway is a remote access appliance and application used to secure network connections and gateway traffic. An attacker with remote access could exploit a hard-coded cryptographic key to bypass security protections and gain unauthorized access to the system or intercept protected traffic.

Technologies: [Dell Secure Connect Gateway](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/secure-connect-gateway). Vendors: [Dell](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/dell).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-78481 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-78481 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-78481?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 9 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance prior to 5.36.00.16 and 5.0 Application prior to 5.36.00.00.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-78481?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-78481 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-78481?** Check whether you run Dell Secure Connect Gateway at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is a use of hard-coded cryptographic key in Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance and Application versions. A low-privileged attacker with network access to the affected system could exploit this flaw by using the embedded cryptographic key to decrypt protected data, forge authentication tokens, or bypass encryption protections. The issue affects 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. Dell has released patched versions that remove or randomize the hard-coded cryptographic material. Immediate patching is strongly recommended as the key material may be reversible from binary analysis.

## Affected products

- Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance prior to 5.36.00.16 and 5.0 Application prior to 5.36.00.00

## Timeline

- 2026-09-09: disclosed

## References

- [https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000503426/dsa-2026-382-security-update-for-dell-secure-connect-gateway-virtual-edition-multiple-vulnerabilities](https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000503426/dsa-2026-382-security-update-for-dell-secure-connect-gateway-virtual-edition-multiple-vulnerabilities)

## Related threats

- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway improper certificate validation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79732-dell-secure-connect-gateway-improper-certificate-validation)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway improper output encoding](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79952-dell-secure-connect-gateway-improper-output-encoding)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway hard-coded credentials vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79740-dell-secure-connect-gateway-hard-coded-credentials-vulnerability)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway relative path traversal to RCE](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-80130-dell-secure-connect-gateway-relative-path-traversal-to-rce)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway improper certificate validation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79734-dell-secure-connect-gateway-improper-certificate-validation)