CVE-2026-80176 describes a plaintext password storage vulnerability in Dell Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 Appliance and Application versions prior to 5.36.00.16 and 5.36.00.00 respectively. The weakness (CWE-257) involves storing passwords in a recoverable format, which can be exploited by a low privileged local attacker to disclose password information. The CVSS 3.1 vector indicates the attack requires local access, high attack complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality but not integrity or availability.

An attacker with low privileges and local access to the affected Dell SCG 5.0 system could potentially retrieve plaintext passwords, leading to information disclosure. This compromises confidentiality but does not affect system integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.

Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, restrict local access to trusted users only and monitor for unauthorized access attempts. Avoid storing sensitive credentials in recoverable formats where possible.