Hackers now exploit critical Barracuda ESG flaws to gain root access

Attackers are actively exploiting two critical vulnerabilities in Barracuda Email Security Gateway appliances, chaining them together to achieve root-level access and bypass authorization controls — a highly dangerous combination for any organization relying on these devices as a mail security perimeter. The fact that exploitation is occurring in the wild means organizations that disabled automatic patching or delayed updates are now directly exposed to full device compromise. Email security gateways are high-value targets because they sit at the boundary of an organization's communications infrastructure, making compromise especially damaging. This incident underscores that disabling automatic patching on internet-facing appliances — even temporarily — can create a critical window of exposure that adversaries are actively watching for.