---
sidebar_position: 8
title: "Security"
description: "Security model, dangerous command approval, user authorization, container isolation, and production deployment best practices"
---

# Security

Hermes Agent is designed with a defense-in-depth security model. This page covers every security boundary — from command approval to container isolation to user authorization on messaging platforms.

## Overview

The security model has five layers:

1. **User authorization** — who can talk to the agent (allowlists, DM pairing)
2. **Dangerous command approval** — human-in-the-loop for destructive operations
3. **Container isolation** — Docker/Singularity/Modal sandboxing with hardened settings
4. **MCP credential filtering** — environment variable isolation for MCP subprocesses
5. **Context file scanning** — prompt injection detection in project files

## Dangerous Command Approval

Before executing any command, Hermes checks it against a curated list of dangerous patterns. If a match is found, the user must explicitly approve it.

### What Triggers Approval

The following patterns trigger approval prompts (defined in `tools/approval.py`):

| Pattern | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `rm -r` / `rm --recursive` | Recursive delete |
| `rm ... /` | Delete in root path |
| `chmod 777` | World-writable permissions |
| `mkfs` | Format filesystem |
| `dd if=` | Disk copy |
| `DROP TABLE/DATABASE` | SQL DROP |
| `DELETE FROM` (without WHERE) | SQL DELETE without WHERE |
| `TRUNCATE TABLE` | SQL TRUNCATE |
| `> /etc/` | Overwrite system config |
| `systemctl stop/disable/mask` | Stop/disable system services |
| `kill -9 -1` | Kill all processes |
| `curl ... \| sh` | Pipe remote content to shell |
| `bash -c`, `python -e` | Shell/script execution via flags |
| `find -exec rm`, `find -delete` | Find with destructive actions |
| Fork bomb patterns | Fork bombs |

:::info
**Container bypass**: When running in `docker`, `singularity`, `modal`, or `daytona` backends, dangerous command checks are **skipped** because the container itself is the security boundary. Destructive commands inside a container can't harm the host.
:::

### Approval Flow (CLI)

In the interactive CLI, dangerous commands show an inline approval prompt:

```
  ⚠️  DANGEROUS COMMAND: recursive delete
      rm -rf /tmp/old-project

      [o]nce  |  [s]ession  |  [a]lways  |  [d]eny

      Choice [o/s/a/D]:
```

The four options:

- **once** — allow this single execution
- **session** — allow this pattern for the rest of the session
- **always** — add to permanent allowlist (saved to `config.yaml`)
- **deny** (default) — block the command

### Approval Flow (Gateway/Messaging)

On messaging platforms, the agent sends the dangerous command details to the chat and waits for the user to reply:

- Reply **yes**, **y**, **approve**, **ok**, or **go** to approve
- Reply **no**, **n**, **deny**, or **cancel** to deny

The `HERMES_EXEC_ASK=1` environment variable is automatically set when running the gateway.

### Permanent Allowlist

Commands approved with "always" are saved to `~/.hermes/config.yaml`:

```yaml
# Permanently allowed dangerous command patterns
command_allowlist:
  - rm
  - systemctl
```

These patterns are loaded at startup and silently approved in all future sessions.

:::tip
Use `hermes config edit` to review or remove patterns from your permanent allowlist.
:::

## User Authorization (Gateway)

When running the messaging gateway, Hermes controls who can interact with the bot through a layered authorization system.

### Authorization Check Order

The `_is_user_authorized()` method checks in this order:

1. **Per-platform allow-all flag** (e.g., `DISCORD_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`)
2. **DM pairing approved list** (users approved via pairing codes)
3. **Platform-specific allowlists** (e.g., `TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS=12345,67890`)
4. **Global allowlist** (`GATEWAY_ALLOWED_USERS=12345,67890`)
5. **Global allow-all** (`GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`)
6. **Default: deny**

### Platform Allowlists

Set allowed user IDs as comma-separated values in `~/.hermes/.env`:

```bash
# Platform-specific allowlists
TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS=123456789,987654321
DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS=111222333444555666
WHATSAPP_ALLOWED_USERS=15551234567
SLACK_ALLOWED_USERS=U01ABC123

# Cross-platform allowlist (checked for all platforms)
GATEWAY_ALLOWED_USERS=123456789

# Per-platform allow-all (use with caution)
DISCORD_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true

# Global allow-all (use with extreme caution)
GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true
```

:::warning
If **no allowlists are configured** and `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS` is not set, **all users are denied**. The gateway logs a warning at startup:

```
No user allowlists configured. All unauthorized users will be denied.
Set GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true in ~/.hermes/.env to allow open access,
or configure platform allowlists (e.g., TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS=your_id).
```
:::

### DM Pairing System

For more flexible authorization, Hermes includes a code-based pairing system. Instead of requiring user IDs upfront, unknown users receive a one-time pairing code that the bot owner approves via the CLI.

**How it works:**

1. An unknown user sends a DM to the bot
2. The bot replies with an 8-character pairing code
3. The bot owner runs `hermes pairing approve <platform> <code>` on the CLI
4. The user is permanently approved for that platform

Control how unauthorized direct messages are handled in `~/.hermes/config.yaml`:

```yaml
unauthorized_dm_behavior: pair

whatsapp:
  unauthorized_dm_behavior: ignore
```

- `pair` is the default. Unauthorized DMs get a pairing code reply.
- `ignore` silently drops unauthorized DMs.
- Platform sections override the global default, so you can keep pairing on Telegram while keeping WhatsApp silent.

**Security features** (based on OWASP + NIST SP 800-63-4 guidance):

| Feature | Details |
|---------|---------|
| Code format | 8-char from 32-char unambiguous alphabet (no 0/O/1/I) |
| Randomness | Cryptographic (`secrets.choice()`) |
| Code TTL | 1 hour expiry |
| Rate limiting | 1 request per user per 10 minutes |
| Pending limit | Max 3 pending codes per platform |
| Lockout | 5 failed approval attempts → 1-hour lockout |
| File security | `chmod 0600` on all pairing data files |
| Logging | Codes are never logged to stdout |

**Pairing CLI commands:**

```bash
# List pending and approved users
hermes pairing list

# Approve a pairing code
hermes pairing approve telegram ABC12DEF

# Revoke a user's access
hermes pairing revoke telegram 123456789

# Clear all pending codes
hermes pairing clear-pending
```

**Storage:** Pairing data is stored in `~/.hermes/pairing/` with per-platform JSON files:
- `{platform}-pending.json` — pending pairing requests
- `{platform}-approved.json` — approved users
- `_rate_limits.json` — rate limit and lockout tracking

## Container Isolation

When using the `docker` terminal backend, Hermes applies strict security hardening to every container.

### Docker Security Flags

Every container runs with these flags (defined in `tools/environments/docker.py`):

```python
_SECURITY_ARGS = [
    "--cap-drop", "ALL",                          # Drop ALL Linux capabilities
    "--security-opt", "no-new-privileges",         # Block privilege escalation
    "--pids-limit", "256",                         # Limit process count
    "--tmpfs", "/tmp:rw,nosuid,size=512m",         # Size-limited /tmp
    "--tmpfs", "/var/tmp:rw,noexec,nosuid,size=256m",  # No-exec /var/tmp
    "--tmpfs", "/run:rw,noexec,nosuid,size=64m",   # No-exec /run
]
```

### Resource Limits

Container resources are configurable in `~/.hermes/config.yaml`:

```yaml
terminal:
  backend: docker
  docker_image: "nikolaik/python-nodejs:python3.11-nodejs20"
  docker_forward_env: []  # Explicit allowlist only; empty keeps secrets out of the container
  container_cpu: 1        # CPU cores
  container_memory: 5120  # MB (default 5GB)
  container_disk: 51200   # MB (default 50GB, requires overlay2 on XFS)
  container_persistent: true  # Persist filesystem across sessions
```

### Filesystem Persistence

- **Persistent mode** (`container_persistent: true`): Bind-mounts `/workspace` and `/root` from `~/.hermes/sandboxes/docker/<task_id>/`
- **Ephemeral mode** (`container_persistent: false`): Uses tmpfs for workspace — everything is lost on cleanup

:::tip
For production gateway deployments, use `docker`, `modal`, or `daytona` backend to isolate agent commands from your host system. This eliminates the need for dangerous command approval entirely.
:::

:::warning
If you add names to `terminal.docker_forward_env`, those variables are intentionally injected into the container for terminal commands. This is useful for task-specific credentials like `GITHUB_TOKEN`, but it also means code running in the container can read and exfiltrate them.
:::

## Terminal Backend Security Comparison

| Backend | Isolation | Dangerous Cmd Check | Best For |
|---------|-----------|-------------------|----------|
| **local** | None — runs on host | ✅ Yes | Development, trusted users |
| **ssh** | Remote machine | ✅ Yes | Running on a separate server |
| **docker** | Container | ❌ Skipped (container is boundary) | Production gateway |
| **singularity** | Container | ❌ Skipped | HPC environments |
| **modal** | Cloud sandbox | ❌ Skipped | Scalable cloud isolation |
| **daytona** | Cloud sandbox | ❌ Skipped | Persistent cloud workspaces |

## MCP Credential Handling

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server subprocesses receive a **filtered environment** to prevent accidental credential leakage.

### Safe Environment Variables

Only these variables are passed through from the host to MCP stdio subprocesses:

```
PATH, HOME, USER, LANG, LC_ALL, TERM, SHELL, TMPDIR
```

Plus any `XDG_*` variables. All other environment variables (API keys, tokens, secrets) are **stripped**.

Variables explicitly defined in the MCP server's `env` config are passed through:

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  github:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    env:
      GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: "ghp_..."  # Only this is passed
```

### Credential Redaction

Error messages from MCP tools are sanitized before being returned to the LLM. The following patterns are replaced with `[REDACTED]`:

- GitHub PATs (`ghp_...`)
- OpenAI-style keys (`sk-...`)
- Bearer tokens
- `token=`, `key=`, `API_KEY=`, `password=`, `secret=` parameters

### Website Access Policy

You can restrict which websites the agent can access through its web and browser tools. This is useful for preventing the agent from accessing internal services, admin panels, or other sensitive URLs.

```yaml
# In ~/.hermes/config.yaml
website_blocklist:
  enabled: true
  domains:
    - "*.internal.company.com"
    - "admin.example.com"
  shared_files:
    - "/etc/hermes/blocked-sites.txt"
```

When a blocked URL is requested, the tool returns an error explaining the domain is blocked by policy. The blocklist is enforced across `web_search`, `web_extract`, `browser_navigate`, and all URL-capable tools.

See [Website Blocklist](/docs/user-guide/configuration#website-blocklist) in the configuration guide for full details.

### Context File Injection Protection

Context files (AGENTS.md, .cursorrules, SOUL.md) are scanned for prompt injection before being included in the system prompt. The scanner checks for:

- Instructions to ignore/disregard prior instructions
- Hidden HTML comments with suspicious keywords
- Attempts to read secrets (`.env`, `credentials`, `.netrc`)
- Credential exfiltration via `curl`
- Invisible Unicode characters (zero-width spaces, bidirectional overrides)

Blocked files show a warning:

```
[BLOCKED: AGENTS.md contained potential prompt injection (prompt_injection). Content not loaded.]
```

## Best Practices for Production Deployment

### Gateway Deployment Checklist

1. **Set explicit allowlists** — never use `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true` in production
2. **Use container backend** — set `terminal.backend: docker` in config.yaml
3. **Restrict resource limits** — set appropriate CPU, memory, and disk limits
4. **Store secrets securely** — keep API keys in `~/.hermes/.env` with proper file permissions
5. **Enable DM pairing** — use pairing codes instead of hardcoding user IDs when possible
6. **Review command allowlist** — periodically audit `command_allowlist` in config.yaml
7. **Set `MESSAGING_CWD`** — don't let the agent operate from sensitive directories
8. **Run as non-root** — never run the gateway as root
9. **Monitor logs** — check `~/.hermes/logs/` for unauthorized access attempts
10. **Keep updated** — run `hermes update` regularly for security patches

### Securing API Keys

```bash
# Set proper permissions on the .env file
chmod 600 ~/.hermes/.env

# Keep separate keys for different services
# Never commit .env files to version control
```

### Network Isolation

For maximum security, run the gateway on a separate machine or VM:

```yaml
terminal:
  backend: ssh
  ssh_host: "agent-worker.local"
  ssh_user: "hermes"
  ssh_key: "~/.ssh/hermes_agent_key"
```

This keeps the gateway's messaging connections separate from the agent's command execution.
