CVEs / CVE-2023-2868
CVE-2023-2868: Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 26 May 2023
- critical 9.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 86.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
Barracuda Email Security Gateway (ESG) appliance contains an improper input validation vulnerability of a user-supplied .tar file, leading to remote command injection.
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 and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Barracuda Barracuda Email Security Gateway | from 5.1.3.001, before 9.2.0.006 | 9.2.0.006 |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 26 May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 16 Jun 2023 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply updates per vendor instructions. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 criticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-20, CWE-77 |
References
- CVE-2023-2868 on NVD
- CVE-2023-2868 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9 (cited by CISA)
- https://status.barracuda.com/incidents/34kx82j5n4q9 Vendor Advisory
- https://www.barracuda.com/company/legal/esg-vulnerability Mitigation, Vendor Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-2868 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.