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AMaViS Arbitrary Command Execution Vulnerability

AMaViS is a script-based email virus scanner that runs on Linux machines. The latest versions, (AMaViS 0.2.0Pre-4) allows for malicious users to insert arbitrary commands that AMaViS will unknowingly run as root in the subject header of messages with virus-infected attached files. The problem is in the scanmails script, detailed below:

cat <<EOF| ${mail} -s "VIRUS IN YOUR MAIL TO $7" $2

V I R U S A L E R T

Our viruschecker found a VIRUS in your email to "$7".
We stopped delivery of this email!

Now it is on you to check your system for viruses

For further information about this viruschecker see:
http://aachalon.de/AMaViS/
AMaViS - A Mail Virus Scanner, licenced GPL
EOF


$2 (which could be 'rm -rf /') will expand to a shell command, executed as root. The possible consequence of this being exploited is a remote root compromise.