OS Command Injection in Email Security Gateway (ESG) - CVE-2023-2868
Published: May 25, 2023 / Updated: March 23, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU76500
CSH Severity: Critical
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Red
CVE-ID: CVE-2023-2868
CWE-ID: CWE-78
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
The vulnerability is being exploited in the wild
Vendor: Barracuda Networks
Affected software:
Email Security Gateway (ESG)
Email Security Gateway (ESG)
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary shell commands on the target system.
The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation when processing .tar archives during email attachment screening. A remote unauthenticated attacker can send a specially crafted email with a malicious attachment to the appliance and execute arbitrary Perl commands on the target system.
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in complete compromise of vulnerable system.
Note, the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.
How to mitigate CVE-2023-2868
Install update from vendor's website.