CVE-2023-2868 | Remote Code injection in Barracuda Email Security Gateway

Exp

A remote command injection vulnerability exists in the Barracuda Email Security Gateway (appliance form factor only) product effecting versions 5.1.3.001-9.2.0.006. The vulnerability arises out of a failure to comprehensively sanitize the processing of .tar file (tape archives). The vulnerability stems from incomplete input validation of a user-supplied .tar file as it pertains to the names of the files contained within the archive. As a consequence, a remote attacker can specifically format these file names in a particular manner that will result in remotely executing a system command through Perl's qx operator with the privileges of the Email Security Gateway product. This issue was fixed as part of BNSF-36456 patch. This patch was automatically applied to all customer appliances.

Published: 2023-05-24 Last update: 2025-10-24 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-2868 is rated Critical Active Threat (98.8/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 89.21%, 100th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2023-05-26) affecting Barracuda Networks / Email Security Gateway (ESG) Appliance. a weakness (CWE-20) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. EPSS rose +1.40% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2023-2868

Name: Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2023-05-26

Action due: 2023-06-16

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-2868

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-27 87.81% 89.21% +1.40%
2 2026-05-25 89.98% 87.81% -2.16%
3 2026-05-23 — 89.98% —

Full EPSS history (64 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-2868

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.4 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 3.9 5.5 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-2868

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-2868

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
barracuda email_security_gateway_300_firmware >= 5.1.3.001, <= 9.2.0.006 cpe:2.3:o:barracuda:email_security_gateway_300_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
barracuda email_security_gateway_400_firmware >= 5.1.3.001, <= 9.2.0.006 cpe:2.3:o:barracuda:email_security_gateway_400_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
barracuda email_security_gateway_600_firmware >= 5.1.3.001, <= 9.2.0.006 cpe:2.3:o:barracuda:email_security_gateway_600_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
barracuda email_security_gateway_800_firmware >= 5.1.3.001, <= 9.2.0.006 cpe:2.3:o:barracuda:email_security_gateway_800_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
barracuda email_security_gateway_900_firmware >= 5.1.3.001, <= 9.2.0.006 cpe:2.3:o:barracuda:email_security_gateway_900_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-2868

cvelogic Threat Intelligence