Search/CVE-2023-2868
● CVE — Critical

CVE-2023-2868

VendorbarracudaProductemail security gateway 300 firmware, email security gateway 400 firmware, email security gateway 600 firmware, email security gateway 800 firmware, email security gateway 900 firmwareDiscoveredMay 24, 2023UpdatedOct 24, 2025

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 v3.1
9.4 CRITICAL
EPSS
86.8%
probability of exploitation in 30 days
CISA KEV
Listed
confirmed active exploitation
News coverage
4
sources referencing this CVE
Related IOCs
seen in the same coverage
EPSS Trend
Aug 16, 2026 → Oct 22, 2026
▼ 0.61pp
87.4% → 86.8% over 3 tracked changes
CVSS v3.1 Detail
Attack VectorNETWORK
Attack ComplexityLOW
Privileges RequiredNONE
User InteractionNONE
ScopeUNCHANGED
ConfidentialityHIGH
IntegrityHIGH
AvailabilityLOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
Connections
11 relationships
Timeline
disclosure → media coverage
May 24, 2023
Disclosure — published as a CVE record. · last revised by NVD Oct 24, 2025
Oct 6, 2026
thehackernews.com reports: Linux Backdoors Impersonate Email Security Tools to Evade Detection in Korea and Taiwan
Nov 3, 2026
bleepingcomputer.com reports: Barracuda warns of critical flaws allowing root access to devices
Nov 4, 2026
securityweek.com reports: Barracuda ESG Authentication Bypass Flaw Opens Path to Root
Nov 6, 2026
thehackernews.com reports: Experts Demonstrate Barracuda Email Security Gateway Chain Enabling Root Access Without Login