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Fencer Vulns
critical 9.4

CVE-2023-2868 kev in the critical feed json

Remote Code injection in Barracuda Email Security Gateway

published 2023-05-24 3 y ago modified 2026-06-17 4 mo ago also EUVD-2023-34316

cvss
9.4
version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev
Exploited
added 2023-05-26
epss
86.8%
EPSS 86.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 99.7%
public exploits
1
Metasploit

Summary

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.

Patch / fix

cisa required action Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  • Barracuda Barracuda Email Security Gateway 9.2.0.006

Timeline

  1. Found exploited as a 0-day (Project Zero)
  2. First public exploit (Metasploit exploit/linux/smtp/barracuda_esg_tarfile_rce)
  3. Published
  4. Added to CISA KEV
  5. 0-day patched (Project Zero)
  6. CISA patch deadline
  7. CISA SSVC: exploitation active

Known exploited

Added
3 y ago
Patch by
2023-06-16 (3 y ago)
Ransomware
Not known
Required action
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Vendor, product
Barracuda Networks, Email Security Gateway (ESG) Appliance
CISA name
Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

Zero-day

Detected in real attacks while still unknown to the vendor and the public, per Google Project Zero's 0day In-the-Wild tracker.

Found
2023-05-18
Patched
2023-05-30
Details
project zero tracker

ATT&CK techniques

How it is exploited and what it leads to, in MITRE ATT&CK terms.

  • T1566.001 Spearphishing Attachment exploitation
  • T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter primary impact
  • T1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel secondary impact
  • T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer secondary impact

kev release 2025-07-28, att&ck v16.1. KEV to ATT&CK mappings by the MITRE Center for Threat-Informed Defense (Mappings Explorer, Apache-2.0). © 2026 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation. Terms of use

CISA SSVC

Exploitation
Active, exploited in the wild
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
total
Assessed
21 mo ago

Exploit prediction

86.84% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.7% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

Exploits and checks

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CNA 3.1 9.4 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
NVD 3.1 9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

  • Barracuda Barracuda Email Security Gateway

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
  • CWE-77 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command

References

Sources

Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.