CVE-2023-2868
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
- 9.4Criticalscored by the publisher (CNA)
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 26 May 2023CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 16 Jun 2023public exploit code
- EPSS
- 86.8%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.3% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 24 May 2023analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
- Attack surface
- Server-side
- Exploitable
- At runtime
- Attack vector
- network
- Can a WAF block it?
- No. See why
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
| Product | Affected versions | Vendor says fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Barracuda Barracuda Email Security Gateway | >= 5.1.3.001 and < 9.2.0.006Vendor says fixed in: not stated |
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
Products named in our analysis
- 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
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack involves specially crafted .tar files containing malicious file names that trigger command execution when processed by the appliance. This delivery is not via HTTP but through file processing on the device, so a web application firewall cannot filter these inputs.
Also consider: input validation · RASP
Based on an AI reading of the CVE description, and no vendor rule found yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 26 May 2023.
- CISA due date
- 16 Jun 2023, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 1 Metasploit module · 3 GitHub proofs of concept
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 16 Jan 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Metasploit
- exploit/linux/smtp/barracuda_esg_tarfile_rceexploit, rank excellent
GitHub proofs of concept
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 24 May 2023Published
- 26 May 2023Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)1 day later
- 16 Jun 2023CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
- 20 Jun 2023First public exploit or proof of concept4 days later
- 16 Jan 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active577 days (about 2 years) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated278 days (about 9 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network. | Reachable over the internet or any routable network. |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | LowPartial degradation possible. | Partial degradation possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2023-2868 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2023-2868 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2023-2868?
CVE-2023-2868 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.4. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2023-2868?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2023-2868. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2023-2868 affect?
CVE-2023-2868 affects barracuda:email_security_gateway_300_firmware, barracuda:email_security_gateway_400_firmware, barracuda:email_security_gateway_600_firmware, barracuda:email_security_gateway_800_firmware, and 1 further product or version. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
3 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Other links (3)
- barracuda.com /company/legal/esg-vulnerability
- status.barracuda.com /incidents/34kx82j5n4q9
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-2868
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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