CVE-2023-2868
Confirmed PUBLISHEDRemote Code injection in Barracuda Email Security Gateway
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
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.
- CVE Published
- May 24, 2023
- Exploitation Reported
- May 26, 2023
- CVSS
- 9.4 Critical
- EPSS
- —
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barracuda |
Barracuda Email Security Gateway
|
5.1.3.001 to < 9.2.0.006 |
Affected |
CVE References
- barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerability barracuda.com · CVE Record https://www.barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerability
- status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9 status.barracuda.com · CVE Record https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2023-05-26 00:00 UTC |
No detection artifacts or sensor request patterns are available for this CVE yet.
Check back as sensor telemetry and scanner integrations are updated.
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2023-05-26 00:00:00 UTC · CISA
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2023-07-30 16:42:27 UTC · GitHub
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Improper Input Validation
Scanner Integrations
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nessus | https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/177587 | Jun 02, 2025 |
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2023-07-30 16:42:27 UTC · 0 stars
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
09:26 UTC about 1 year ago09:26 UTC · about 1 year ago
Nessus plugin available
Scanner coverage available
-
16:42 UTC almost 3 years ago16:42 UTC · almost 3 years ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
00:00 UTC about 3 years ago00:00 UTC · about 3 years ago
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
18:00 UTC about 3 years ago18:00 UTC · about 3 years ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
14:24 UTC about 3 years ago14:24 UTC · about 3 years ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2023-2868
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2023-2868",
"title": "Remote Code injection in Barracuda Email Security Gateway",
"affected_vendor": "Barracuda",
"affected_product": "Barracuda Email Security Gateway",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 9.4,
"epss_score": null,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}