From 2d607d36f674539bd88443fa73153e6fe8d1ca2c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Teknium <127238744+teknium1@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:57:57 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] fix(security): catch sensitive path writes in approval checks
 (#3859)

Co-authored-by: Gutslabs <gutslabsxyz@gmail.com>
---
 tests/tools/test_approval.py | 35 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 tools/approval.py            | 18 +++++++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 52 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tests/tools/test_approval.py b/tests/tools/test_approval.py
index 0d48b7c1f..abdda05fa 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_approval.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_approval.py
@@ -339,6 +339,16 @@ class TestTeePattern:
         assert dangerous is True
         assert key is not None
 
+    def test_tee_custom_hermes_home_env(self):
+        dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command("echo x | tee $HERMES_HOME/.env")
+        assert dangerous is True
+        assert key is not None
+
+    def test_tee_quoted_custom_hermes_home_env(self):
+        dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command('echo x | tee "$HERMES_HOME/.env"')
+        assert dangerous is True
+        assert key is not None
+
     def test_tee_tmp_safe(self):
         dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command("echo hello | tee /tmp/output.txt")
         assert dangerous is False
@@ -374,6 +384,30 @@ class TestFindExecFullPathRm:
         assert key is None
 
 
+class TestSensitiveRedirectPattern:
+    """Detect shell redirection writes to sensitive user-managed paths."""
+
+    def test_redirect_to_custom_hermes_home_env(self):
+        dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command("echo x > $HERMES_HOME/.env")
+        assert dangerous is True
+        assert key is not None
+
+    def test_append_to_home_ssh_authorized_keys(self):
+        dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command("cat key >> $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys")
+        assert dangerous is True
+        assert key is not None
+
+    def test_append_to_tilde_ssh_authorized_keys(self):
+        dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command("cat key >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys")
+        assert dangerous is True
+        assert key is not None
+
+    def test_redirect_to_safe_tmp_file(self):
+        dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command("echo hello > /tmp/output.txt")
+        assert dangerous is False
+        assert key is None
+
+
 class TestPatternKeyUniqueness:
     """Bug: pattern_key is derived by splitting on \\b and taking [1], so
     patterns starting with the same word (e.g. find -exec rm and find -delete)
@@ -606,3 +640,4 @@ class TestNormalizationBypass:
         dangerous, key, desc = detect_dangerous_command(cmd)
         assert dangerous is False
 
+
diff --git a/tools/approval.py b/tools/approval.py
index ee74b1134..8ae52407f 100644
--- a/tools/approval.py
+++ b/tools/approval.py
@@ -18,6 +18,21 @@ from typing import Optional
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Sensitive write targets that should trigger approval even when referenced
+# via shell expansions like $HOME or $HERMES_HOME.
+_SSH_SENSITIVE_PATH = r'(?:~|\$home|\$\{home\})/\.ssh(?:/|$)'
+_HERMES_ENV_PATH = (
+    r'(?:~\/\.hermes/|'
+    r'(?:\$home|\$\{home\})/\.hermes/|'
+    r'(?:\$hermes_home|\$\{hermes_home\})/)'
+    r'\.env\b'
+)
+_SENSITIVE_WRITE_TARGET = (
+    r'(?:/etc/|/dev/sd|'
+    rf'{_SSH_SENSITIVE_PATH}|'
+    rf'{_HERMES_ENV_PATH})'
+)
+
 # =========================================================================
 # Dangerous command patterns
 # =========================================================================
@@ -46,7 +61,8 @@ DANGEROUS_PATTERNS = [
     (r'\b(python[23]?|perl|ruby|node)\s+-[ec]\s+', "script execution via -e/-c flag"),
     (r'\b(curl|wget)\b.*\|\s*(ba)?sh\b', "pipe remote content to shell"),
     (r'\b(bash|sh|zsh|ksh)\s+<\s*<?\s*\(\s*(curl|wget)\b', "execute remote script via process substitution"),
-    (r'\btee\b.*(/etc/|/dev/sd|\.ssh/|\.hermes/\.env)', "overwrite system file via tee"),
+    (rf'\btee\b.*["\']?{_SENSITIVE_WRITE_TARGET}', "overwrite system file via tee"),
+    (rf'>>?\s*["\']?{_SENSITIVE_WRITE_TARGET}', "overwrite system file via redirection"),
     (r'\bxargs\s+.*\brm\b', "xargs with rm"),
     (r'\bfind\b.*-exec\s+(/\S*/)?rm\b', "find -exec rm"),
     (r'\bfind\b.*-delete\b', "find -delete"),