# CVE-2026-80166: Dell Secure Connect Gateway privilege escalation via improper privilege management

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-80166-dell-secure-connect-gateway-privilege-escalation-via-improper  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-07. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-80166 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-09-07

Dell Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) is a secure remote access appliance used to manage and control corporate network connections. A vulnerability in SCG allows a low-privileged local user to elevate their privileges to higher levels without proper authorization, potentially gaining administrative control of the system and access to sensitive corporate data.

Technologies: [Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/secure-connect-gateway-5-0-appliance), [Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Application](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/secure-connect-gateway-5-0-application). Vendors: [Dell](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/dell).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-80166 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-80166 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-80166?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 7 September 2026.

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

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-80166?** A patch was published on 2026-09-07: Patch available: SCG 5.0 Appliance 5.36.00.16, SCG 5.0 Application 5.36.00.00 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-80166 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-80166?** Check whether you run Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance or Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Application 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

This is an Improper Privilege Management vulnerability (CWE-269) in Dell SCG 5.0 Appliance and Application versions prior to 5.36.00.16 and 5.36.00.00 respectively. The vulnerability allows an authenticated local attacker with low privileges to escalate to higher privilege levels due to inadequate privilege validation. The attack vector is local and requires prior authentication (PR:L), but no user interaction. An attacker can achieve elevation of privileges to gain unauthorized access to system resources and functionality. Patches are available in versions 5.36.00.16 (Appliance) and 5.36.00.00 (Application).

## Affected products

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

## Timeline

- 2026-09-07: disclosed: Published as CVE-2026-80166
- 2026-09-07: patched: Patch available: SCG 5.0 Appliance 5.36.00.16, SCG 5.0 Application 5.36.00.00

## References

- [https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000503426/dsa-2026-382-security-update-for-dell-secure-connect-gateway-virtual-edition-multiple-vulnerabilities?msockid=3021cac2195069ed3194ddad186a68f9](https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000503426/dsa-2026-382-security-update-for-dell-secure-connect-gateway-virtual-edition-multiple-vulnerabilities?msockid=3021cac2195069ed3194ddad186a68f9)

## Related threats

- [Dell SCG 5.0 cross-site scripting in alternate XSS syntax](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79946-dell-scg-5-0-cross-site-scripting-in-alternate-xss-syntax)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway command injection vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79741-dell-secure-connect-gateway-command-injection-vulnerability)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway OS command injection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-78484-dell-secure-connect-gateway-os-command-injection)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway command injection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79941-dell-secure-connect-gateway-command-injection)
- [Dell Secure Connect Gateway improper neutralization of escape sequences](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79964-dell-secure-connect-gateway-improper-neutralization-of-escape)