Exploited CVEs / CVE-2023-2868
CVE-2023-2868
Actively exploited Barracuda Networks Email Security Gateway (ESG) Appliance vulnerability, Critical severity, CVSS 9.8. Added to the CISA KEV catalog 2023-05-26.
All about CVE-2023-2868: the Senserva AI read, the CISA required action and deadline, the official fix, and the questions admins ask.
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Barracuda Networks ESG Appliance Improper Input Validation Vulnerability. Exploitation in the wild is confirmed by CISA, not predicted. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2023-06-16 (that deadline has passed); treat that date as the outer bound for your own environment. Check the vendor security advisory for the fix.
Risk summary
Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2023-2868
Barracuda Email Security Gateway appliances mishandle user-supplied .tar file attachments, and the resulting remote command injection was exploited as a zero-day in a long-running espionage campaign before anyone knew. The attack path is chilling for a mail security product: the appliance compromises itself while scanning hostile mail. It is rated Critical (CVSS 9.8) with 87% EPSS and joined the KEV list in May 2023.
Do this: Follow Barracuda's remediation guidance for affected ESG appliances without delay and investigate mail-flow infrastructure for persistence.
AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-07. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.
Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2023-2868
Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.
Full tracking and change history for CVE-2023-2868
Published and last-revised dates are authoritative, from Microsoft MSRC (or the CISA KEV date-added). Senserva additionally records day-to-day changes from 2026-07-07, refreshed several times a day; the change count reflects that forward-only tracking.
CISA required action
Federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date: 2023-06-16 (past due).
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Official fix for CVE-2023-2868
Check the vendor's security advisory channel for the patched Email Security Gateway (ESG) Appliance versions and workarounds.
Common questions about CVE-2023-2868
Is CVE-2023-2868 actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2023-2868 was added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2023-05-26, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed, not predicted. Its EPSS 30-day exploitation probability is 87%.
What is the CISA deadline and required action for CVE-2023-2868?
CISA set the federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date at 2023-06-16, which has passed; treat any unremediated system as overdue. The verbatim required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
What fixes CVE-2023-2868?
Check the vendor's security advisory for the patched Email Security Gateway (ESG) Appliance versions and any workarounds. KEV listing makes this a fix-first item: patch it ahead of higher-CVSS issues nobody is exploiting.
Can I ask my own AI about CVE-2023-2868?
Yes. This page includes a free, ready-to-paste AI prompt containing CVE-2023-2868's key facts: severity, CVSS, EPSS, the KEV date, the CISA due date, and the required action. Copy it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot; the data is refreshed three times a day (5 AM, 12:30 PM, and 7 PM US Central).
Authoritative references
Every actively exploited CVE, searchable with due dates and CSV export: the exploited-CVE tracker. The newest additions: exploited this week.