Critical

n8n Expression Escape Vulnerability Leading to RCE

IdentifiersCVE-2026-25049CWE-913· Improper Control of…Also known asghsa_6cqr_8cfr_67f8

CVE-2026-25049 is a critical vulnerability in n8n, the open source workflow automation platform, affecting versions prior to 1.123.17 and 2.5.2. The flaw resides in n8n’s expression evaluation and sanitization logic for workflow parameters. An authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows can supply crafted expressions that bypass the intended sandbox and sanitization controls, resulting in unintended system command execution on the host running n8n. Public reporting describes this as an expression sandbox escape and a bypass of protections introduced for CVE-2025-68613. The issue was fixed in n8n 1.123.17 and 2.5.2.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows arbitrary system command execution on the underlying n8n host in the security context of the n8n process, which can lead to full compromise of the instance. Reported downstream impact includes theft of environment variables and stored credentials, access to files and workflows, modification of automation logic, data exfiltration, persistence, and pivoting to connected internal services or cloud resources. In environments where n8n holds high-value secrets or broad integrations, compromise can expose API keys, OAuth tokens, database credentials, and other sensitive material.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, restrict workflow creation and modification permissions to fully trusted users only. Run n8n in a hardened environment with least-privilege operating system permissions and constrained network access to limit blast radius. Reduce exposure of public webhook-triggered workflows where possible, monitor for suspicious workflow changes or unusual expression usage, and consider rotating the n8n encryption key and stored credentials as a precaution. These measures are temporary and do not fully remediate the vulnerability.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade n8n to a fixed version. For the 1.x branch, update to 1.123.17 or later. For the 2.x branch, update to 2.5.2 or later. Apply the vendor-provided fixes referenced in the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-6cqr-8cfr-67f8 and associated fixing commits. After patching, review workflows for suspicious crafted expressions and rotate sensitive credentials accessible to n8n, especially if compromise is suspected.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 2 candidates as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 2 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

N8nN8napplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

93 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

93 SOURCESView more in app

Mar 12, 2026

CISA says n8n critical bug exploited in real-world attacks • The Register

A collection of critical vulnerabilities in n8n's expression evaluation engine that provide additional authenticated paths to trigger unintended system command execution on the host running n8n.

ctoatncsc substackNews

Feb 14, 2026

CTO at NCSC Summary: week ending February 15th

A specific n8n vulnerability referenced as part of a related analysis list; no technical details provided in this content.

cloudatg insightsNews

Feb 13, 2026

AI Development & Software Engineering | CloudATG

Critical n8n vulnerability enabling arbitrary system command execution via insufficient sanitization (a bypass of prior protections).

the hacker newsNews

Feb 9, 2026

⚡ Weekly Recap: AI Skill Malware, 31Tbps DDoS, Notepad++ Hack, LLM Backdoors and More

Unknown (listed as a trending CVE affecting n8n; no technical details provided in the content).

+13 more in the timeline

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity75