CVE-2023-2868
CRITICALCISA KEVEPSS 100th pctlDescription
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.
How to fix
Actively exploited, no published fix found yet
CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Federal remediation due: 2023-06-16
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
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CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 100% of all known CVEs.
Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability
Barracuda Email Security Gateway (ESG) appliance contains an improper input validation vulnerability of a user-supplied .tar file, leading to remote command injection.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Remediation due: 2023-06-16
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-3400 | Critical | 10.0 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | - |
| CVE-2021-45105 | Medium | 5.9 | 100% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-44228 | Critical | 10.0 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2021-21985 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2018-7600 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2020-3452 | High | 7.5 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-2868?
No published fix for CVE-2023-2868 has been found yet. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list; federal agencies must remediate by 2023-06-16. Apply the vendor's mitigations per CISA's guidance.
Is CVE-2023-2868 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2023-2868 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation has been observed in the wild. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2023-06-16. Treat it as a priority whatever its CVSS score says.
How severe is CVE-2023-2868?
CVE-2023-2868 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.4, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-10-24.