# CVE-2026-10548: NousResearch hermes-agent improper authentication in Credential Pool

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-10548-nousresearch-hermes-agent-improper-authentication-in-credential  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-06-02. Updated: 2026-06-02  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-10548 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.3 · Published 2026-06-02

A security flaw in the NousResearch hermes-agent, a tool used for managing AI agent credentials, can lead to an authentication bypass. When the system encounters rate limits while using Anthropic services, it incorrectly synchronizes all stored account tokens with a single local configuration file. This causes multiple isolated user accounts to be overwritten by a single identity, potentially leading to unauthorized access or service disruptions across different accounts.

Technologies: [NousResearch Hermes Agent](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/hermes-agent). Vendors: [NousResearch](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/nousresearch).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-10548 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-10548 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-10548?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.3, published 2 June 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** NousResearch Hermes Agent <= 2026.4.23.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-10548?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-10548 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-10548?** Check whether you run NousResearch Hermes Agent at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in the `CredentialPool` of `hermes-agent` up to version 2026.4.23. The flaw is located in the `_sync_anthropic_entry_from_credentials_file` function within `agent/credential_pool.py`. When the agent encounters an HTTP 429 rate limit error, it attempts to rotate credentials and synchronizes exhausted tokens with a global configuration file (`~/.claude/.credentials.json`). Because this synchronization lacks proper scoping, it overwrites all distinct pool entries with the contents of the singleton global file. A local attacker can exploit this to collapse multi-account credential pools into a single identity, breaching authorization boundaries. As of the advisory date, the vendor has not responded to the disclosure.

## Affected products

- NousResearch hermes-agent <= 2026.4.23

## Timeline

- 2026-05-07: other: Vulnerability research and PoC developed
- 2026-06-01: advisory: VulDB published advisory
- 2026-06-02: disclosed: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://gist.github.com/YLChen-007/caf38652afeccbbd53a9d77152b6198d](https://gist.github.com/YLChen-007/caf38652afeccbbd53a9d77152b6198d)
- [https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-10548](https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-10548)
- [https://vuldb.com/submit/822026](https://vuldb.com/submit/822026)
- [https://vuldb.com/vuln/367645](https://vuldb.com/vuln/367645)
- [https://vuldb.com/vuln/367645/cti](https://vuldb.com/vuln/367645/cti)

## Related threats

- [NousResearch hermes-agent resource exhaustion in resourceBufferFromUrl](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85107-nousresearch-hermes-agent-resource-exhaustion-in)
- [NousResearch hermes-agent server-side request forgery in Link Title Fetch](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85106-nousresearch-hermes-agent-server-side-request-forgery-in-link)
- [NousResearch hermes-agent authorization bypass in Session Management](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85105-nousresearch-hermes-agent-authorization-bypass-in-session)
- [NousResearch hermes-agent denial of service in MCP Tool](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84289-nousresearch-hermes-agent-denial-of-service-in-mcp-tool)
- [NousResearch hermes-agent denial of service in ACP Prompt Workflow](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84288-nousresearch-hermes-agent-denial-of-service-in-acp-prompt)