Medium File handling exploit reference

CVE-2026-7397 — NousResearch hermes-agent file_tools.py _check_sensitive_path symlink

A security flaw has been discovered in NousResearch hermes-agent 0.8.0. This affects the function _check_sensitive_path of the file tools/file_tools.py. The manipulation results in symlink following. Attacking locally is a requirement. The exploit has been released to the public and may be used for attacks. Upgrading to version 0.9.0 is able to mitigate this issue. The patch is identified as 311dac197145e19e07df68feba2cd55d896a3cd1. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Published Apr 29, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: VulDB

Low

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.

How the score was calculated

EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
Technical severity (medium)+3
CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation

Not confirmed

Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.

EPSS FIRST

0.17%

ahead of 6% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026

Affects

NousResearch

Hermes-agent

CVSS base

4.4

Medium · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation

Proof of concept

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Partial

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (NousResearch Hermes-agent).
No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
NousResearch	Hermes-agent	version 0.8.0	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector

Local

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

Low

Availability

Low

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
4.8	CVSS 4.0	Medium	—	—	VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
1.9	CVSS 4.0	Low	—	—	cna@vuldb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
4.4	CVSS 3.1	Medium	1.8	2.5	cna@vuldb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
4.4	CVSS 3.1	Medium	—	—	VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
4.4	CVSS 3.0	Medium	—	—	VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
3.2	CVSS 2.0	Low	3.1	4.9	cna@vuldb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.2	CVSS 2.0	Low	—	—	VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L (score shown at the top: cna@vuldb.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-59 · Link Following

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.17%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).

endpoint telemetry (EDR)file integrity (FIM)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · nousresearch/hermes-agent
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 13, 2026
CVSS changed · 4.4
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Deferred
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Apr 29, 2026 · VulDB

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

8 on the record

github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/commit/311dac197145e19e07df68feba2cd55d896a
patch, NIST National Vulnerability Database
github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/8829
issue-tracking, patch, NIST National Vulnerability Database
github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases/tag/v2026.4.13
patch, NIST National Vulnerability Database
vuldb.com/vuln/360121
vdb-entry, technical-description, NIST National Vulnerability Database
github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/8734
exploit, issue-tracking, NIST National Vulnerability Database
vuldb.com/vuln/360121/cti
signature, permissions-required, NIST National Vulnerability Database
github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/
product, NIST National Vulnerability Database
vuldb.com/submit/803270
third-party-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

NousResearch
every CVE for this vendor

File handling
same class

CWE-59
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

Low CVE-2026-15311 NousResearch hermes-agent Matrix Adapter matrix.py MatrixAdapter._markdown_to_html cross site scripting Jul 9, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-14783 NousResearch hermes-agent skills_tool.py skill_view path traversal Jul 5, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-14628 NousResearch hermes-agent Live Webhook Endpoint base.py extract_media path traversal Jul 4, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-14627 NousResearch hermes-agent Discord Platform Integration discord.py DiscordAdapter._is_allowed_user improper authentication Jul 4, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-14626 NousResearch hermes-agent HTTP API run_agent.py AIAgent.run_conversation denial of service Jul 4, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-14625 NousResearch hermes-agent server.py shell.exec protection mechanism Jul 4, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-7397 is "NousResearch hermes-agent file_tools.py _check_sensitive_path symlink", rated Medium. It affects Hermes-agent (NousResearch); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 4.4 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.17% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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