Description
The Mail::Mailer Perl module in the perl-MailTools package 1.47 and earlier uses mailx as the default mailer, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by inserting them into the mail body, which is then processed by mailx.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | libmailtools-perl | 1.51 | — |
| Debian 13 | libmailtools-perl | 1.51 | — |
| Debian 12 | libmailtools-perl | 1.51 | — |
| Debian 3.0 | libmailtools-perl | 1.44-1woody1 | DSA-386 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-386 libmailtools-perl - input validation bug Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- DSA-386 vendor-advisory
- mail-mailer-command-execution(10548) vdb-entry
- 20021106 GLSA: MailTools mailing-list
- 20021108 [Security Announce] Re: MDKSA-2002:076 - perl-MailTools update mailing-list
- 6104 vdb-entry
- MDKSA-2002:076 vendor-advisory
- SuSE-SA:2002:041 vendor-advisory