CVE-2023-2868
Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability
Does this matter?
Known to be exploited in the wild (CISA KEV, CISA remediation deadline 16 June 2023). Treat as an emergency change: patch or isolate now, then hunt for prior compromise.
Description
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.
- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 86.84% probability · 100th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Listed 26 May 2023 · due 16 June 2023
- Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-77
- Affected
- barracuda/email security gateway 300 firmware · barracuda/email security gateway 400 firmware · barracuda/email security gateway 600 firmware · barracuda/email security gateway 800 firmware · barracuda/email security gateway 900 firmware
- Source
- cve-coordination@google.com
EPSS 86.8% since 30 October 2026; no change recorded yet. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
CISA notes
Apply updates per vendor instructions. https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-2868
References
- https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9Vendor Advisory
- https://www.barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerabilityMitigation, Vendor Advisory
- https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9Vendor Advisory
- https://www.barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerabilityMitigation, Vendor Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-2868US Government Resource
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.