CVE-2026-82020

Received Received - Intake

Hermes Agent improper path restriction leads to credential overwrite

Publication date: 2026-08-28

Last updated on: 2026-08-28

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description

Hermes Agent 0.16.0 prior to 0.17.0 contains an improper path restriction vulnerability that allows attackers who can influence ingested message content to overwrite the credential store by bypassing sensitive-path guards that excluded the auth.json file. Attackers can craft malicious messages directing the agent's file-write tooling to overwrite the credential store without triggering any path-based protection, enabling credential tampering or unauthorized access.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-28

Last Modified

2026-08-28

Generated

2026-08-29

AI Q&A

2026-08-29

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-82020

EUVD

EUVD-2026-67866

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
hermes_agent	hermes_agent	to 0.17.0 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-552	The product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

Hermes Agent 0.16.0 prior to 0.17.0 has an improper path restriction flaw. Attackers who control message content can bypass protections and overwrite the credential store file (auth.json). This allows credential tampering or unauthorized access without triggering path-based safeguards.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check for unauthorized modifications to sensitive files like auth.json, ~/.ssh/*, ~/.netrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.hermes/config.yaml. Review Hermes Agent logs for file-write operations targeting these paths without proper approval. Use commands like 'find ~/.hermes -type f -name "auth.json" -mtime -1' to check recent changes.

Impact Analysis

Attackers could overwrite critical files like auth.json to steal credentials, implant SSH keys, or modify shell configurations. This could lead to unauthorized system access, data breaches, or persistent compromise of user accounts and services.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating GDPR's data protection principles and HIPAA's safeguards for protected health information. Organizations may face compliance violations, fines, or legal consequences if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update Hermes Agent to version 0.17.0 or later. Review and revoke any unauthorized credentials stored in auth.json or related files. Implement stricter terminal approval rules for file-write operations targeting sensitive paths. Monitor for suspicious file modifications in critical directories.

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