A newly disclosed critical vulnerability in the n8n workflow automation platform could allow attackers to execute arbitrary system commands on servers hosting vulnerable deployments.
The flaw, published under advisory GHSA-6cqr-8cfr-67f8 by security researcher csuermann, affects users running n8n versions before 1.123.17 and 2.5.2.
Technical Overview
The vulnerability arises from unsafe expression evaluation during workflow execution. Known as an Expression Escape vulnerability, it mirrors and extends the previously documented CVE-2025-68613.
Authenticated users with permissions to create or edit workflows can embed specially crafted expressions into workflow parameters.
When these are processed, n8n fails to properly sanitize the input, allowing the injected payload to escape the expected evaluation context and execute arbitrary system commands on the underlying host machine.
This flaw effectively turns legitimate workflow automation features into an RCE (Remote Code Execution) vector, making it possible to pivot from an authenticated account to full system compromise.
Depending on deployment configuration, an attacker could potentially exfiltrate sensitive environment variables, manipulate files, or execute lateral movement within the environment.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| CVE ID | CVE-2026-25049 |
| Package | Remote Code Execution via a crafted expression in workflow parameters |
Given n8n’s frequent use in enterprise automation pipelines where credentials, tokens, and API keys are stored, the severity of this vulnerability is critical. A successful exploit provides complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, meeting CVSS v4.0’s highest rating parameters.
Administrators operating self-hosted or cloud-hosted n8n instances should consider all prior workflow creators as potential internal threat vectors until patched.
The developers have patched the vulnerability in n8n versions 1.123.17 and 2.5.2. Users are strongly urged to upgrade immediately.
If immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should:
- Restrict workflow creation and modification rights to trusted users only.
- Deploy n8n in sandboxed or containerized environments with minimal OS-level privileges.
- Segregate workflow execution hosts from sensitive networks and assets.
These are temporary mitigations and do not fully neutralize the threat.
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