hermes - 💡(How to fix) Fix security: sudo passwords cached in plain Python dict in process memory

Summary

Sudo passwords are cached in a plain Python dict (_sudo_password_cache) in process memory. If the Hermes process is compromised or its memory is dumped, the cached sudo password is retrievable, enabling privilege escalation on the host.

Details

In tools/terminal_tool.py:

_sudo_password_cache: dict[str, str] = {}

The password prompt also reads directly from /dev/tty in some code paths.

Impact

• Memory dumps (e.g., via /proc/<pid>/mem, core dumps, or container escape) expose the sudo password
• Container compromise → host privilege escalation if sudo password is reused

Recommendation

• Store sudo passwords in an OS keyring or credential manager (e.g., keyring library, systemd-creds, pass)
• Alternatively, use a short-lived file with 0600 permissions and delete immediately after use
• Clear the cache aggressively after command execution (not just per-session)
• Never cache passwords in a plain Python dict

Files

• tools/terminal_tool.py

Severity: MEDIUM