# CVE-2026-17432: NousResearch hermes-agent authorization bypass in SimpleX Gateway

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-17432-nousresearch-hermes-agent-authorization-bypass-in-simplex-gateway  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-26. Updated: 2026-07-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-17432 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5 · Published 2026-07-26

NousResearch hermes-agent, an AI agent framework, contains a security flaw in its SimpleX Gateway authorization component. An attacker can bypass the user allowlist by spoofing their profile display name to match a trusted user's name. This could allow unauthorized individuals to gain full access to the agent's capabilities and any data it manages.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-17432 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-17432 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-17432?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5, published 26 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** NousResearch Hermes Agent 2026.6.5.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-17432?** A patch was published on 2026-06-07: Pull request with fix submitted to GitHub repository Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-17432 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-17432?** 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

The vulnerability exists in the SimpleX platform adapter (hermes-agent/plugins/platforms/simplex/adapter.py) and the gateway authorization logic (_is_user_authorized in gateway/run.py). The system incorrectly validated users in the SIMPLEX_ALLOWED_USERS list against the 'source.user_name' field, which is a self-asserted, non-unique profile display name controlled by the remote user. An attacker can bypass the allowlist by changing their profile name to match a trusted user's name. The fix involves anchoring the authorization check to the 'localDisplayName' (a locally assigned, unique alias) or the numeric 'contactId', which cannot be forged by the remote party.

## Affected products

- NousResearch hermes-agent 2026.6.5

## Timeline

- 2026-07-25: advisory: NVD/VulDB publication date
- 2026-06-07: patched: Pull request with fix submitted to GitHub repository

## References

- [https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/)
- [https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/commit/490c486ff65b766d9de0fe0e6f26e1778aaa8fb3](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/commit/490c486ff65b766d9de0fe0e6f26e1778aaa8fb3)
- [https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/44729](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/44729)
- [https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/44730](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/44730)
- [https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/41246](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/41246)
- [https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-17432](https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-17432)
- [https://vuldb.com/submit/862424](https://vuldb.com/submit/862424)

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