tech

Claude, Codex, and Hermes installed unowned code inside corporate networks

227 install commands were found in corporate docs pointing at code nobody owns.

Claude, Codex, and Hermes installed unowned code inside corporate networks

TL;DR

  • Over 100 websites reference potentially dangerous executable content in documentation files like llms.txt and llms-full.txt.
  • AI agents, including Claude, Codex, and Hermes, have been observed executing proof-of-concept code from these files.
  • A vulnerability exists where AI agents treat documentation as authoritative, installing unowned packages or visiting unclaimed domains.
  • At least one misconfigured site was found directing visitors to live malware, exploiting unclaimed package names.
  • The trust model is broken, as AI agents lack the ability to distinguish between legitimate instructions and potentially malicious content within documentation.
  • This new threat expands beyond simple prompt injections, as even benign instructions can become dangerous when the targeted package or domain is later claimed by an attacker.
  • The security failure occurs upstream, as endpoint detection tools may not identify these actions as anomalous.