CVE DATABASE / CVE-2023-2868
CVE-2023-2868
Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability
Confirmed exploited in the wild. Added 2023-05-26.
Federal remediation due 2023-06-16.
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Summary
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 breakdown
| Base score | 9.4 (CRITICAL) |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L |
| Attack vector | NETWORK |
| Attack complexity | LOW |
| Privileges required | NONE |
| User interaction | NONE |
| Scope | UNCHANGED |
| Confidentiality | HIGH |
| Integrity | HIGH |
| Availability | LOW |
Weakness type (CWE)
Affected products
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References
- https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9
- https://www.barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerability
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-2868
Data: NIST NVD + CISA KEV. NVD last modified 2025-10-24. Always verify against the vendor advisory before acting.