diff --git a/modules/security/malware-scanner.sh b/modules/security/malware-scanner.sh
index 7683406..02876f0 100755
--- a/modules/security/malware-scanner.sh
+++ b/modules/security/malware-scanner.sh
@@ -1083,9 +1083,9 @@ for scanner in "${AVAILABLE_SCANNERS[@]}"; do
                 # Run with -a (scan-all) for comprehensive scanning
                 # Timeout after 2 hours per path
                 timeout 7200 maldet -b -a "$path" &>> "$LOG_DIR/maldet.log"
-                local exit_code=$?
+                exit_code=$?
 
-                if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then
+                if [ "$exit_code" -ne 0 ]; then
                     MALDET_EXIT=$exit_code
                 fi