CVE-2026-6830 in hermes-webui
Summary
by MITRE • 04/22/2026
nesquena hermes-webui contains an environment variable leakage vulnerability where profile switching does not clear environment variables from the previously active profile before loading the next profile. Attackers or users can exploit additive dotenv reload behavior to access provider API keys and other sensitive secrets from one profile context in another profile, breaking expected security isolation between profiles.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2026
The vulnerability in nesquena hermes-webui represents a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental principle of profile isolation within the application's configuration management system. This environment variable leakage occurs when the system fails to properly sanitize the execution environment during profile transitions, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by both malicious actors and compromised users. The flaw directly violates security best practices by allowing sensitive information to leak across profile boundaries, effectively breaking the security model that should isolate different operational contexts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the additive nature of dotenv reloading behavior within the application's configuration loader. When switching between profiles, the system does not perform a complete environment cleanup before loading the new profile's configuration variables. Instead, it simply appends new environment variables to the existing environment, leaving behind any sensitive data from the previous profile context. This additive reload mechanism creates a scenario where API keys, database credentials, and other confidential information from one profile can remain accessible in the memory space of the newly loaded profile, creating a persistent information disclosure channel.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential privilege escalation and lateral movement capabilities within the system. An attacker who gains access to one profile context can potentially extract sensitive credentials from other profiles, enabling them to access additional systems, services, or data that should be isolated from their primary operational context. This creates a significant risk for multi-tenant environments or applications where different profiles represent different customer contexts, service accounts, or operational environments that should remain logically separated. The vulnerability can be exploited through simple profile switching operations, making it particularly dangerous as it requires minimal specialized knowledge or access privileges to exploit.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-259 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials) categories, while also mapping to ATT&CK techniques such as T1552.001 (Credentials in Files) and T1552.006 (Credentials in Code). The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and environment sanitization practices that should be addressed through proper configuration management protocols. Organizations using this application face increased risk of credential compromise, unauthorized access to backend services, and potential data breaches that could affect multiple profile contexts simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper environment variable sanitization during profile transitions, ensuring that all sensitive variables from the previous profile are completely removed before loading new configuration data. The application should enforce strict isolation between profile contexts, implementing mechanisms to clear environment variables, reset process state, and validate that no residual sensitive data remains accessible. Additionally, organizations should implement monitoring and alerting for unusual profile switching patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while also considering implementing automated credential rotation and access control measures to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation.