CVE-2023-2868: Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: yes — in CISA KEV since 2023-05-26
EPSS: 86.8% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-05-24 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-20

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.

Affected products

Barracuda Email Security Gateway 300 Firmware: from 5.1.3.001 through 9.2.0.006
Barracuda Email Security Gateway 400 Firmware: from 5.1.3.001 through 9.2.0.006
Barracuda Email Security Gateway 600 Firmware: from 5.1.3.001 through 9.2.0.006
Barracuda Email Security Gateway 800 Firmware: from 5.1.3.001 through 9.2.0.006
Barracuda Email Security Gateway 900 Firmware: from 5.1.3.001 through 9.2.0.006

References

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