VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-27496: n8n · Use of Uninitialized Resource

Affects n8nSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High · fixed in 2.10.1 : patch n8n soon.

Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

7.1High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 19% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 2.10.1, 2.9.3, 1.123.22

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker requires privileges that provide basic capabilities that are typically limited to settings and resources owned by a single low-privileged user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges has the ability to access only non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High: There is a total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all information within the Vulnerable System being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact. For example, an attacker steals the administrator's password, or private encryption keys of a web server.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade n8n to 2.10.1, 2.9.3 or 1.123.22; n8n-io/n8n to 1.123.22.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
n8n-ion8n	Affected >=2.10.0 <2.10.1	Fixed in 2.10.1
n8n-ion8n	Affected >=2.0.0-rc.0 <2.9.3	Fixed in 2.9.3
n8n-ion8n	Affected <1.123.22	Fixed in 1.123.22
npmn8n-io/n8n`pkg:npm/n8n-io/n8n`Other threats	Affected <1.123.22	Fixed in 1.123.22

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Upgrade n8n installations to versions 1.123.22, 2.9.3, 2.10.1, or later as soon as possible to apply the official patch addressing this vulnerability.
Restrict workflow creation and modification permissions strictly to fully trusted and vetted users to reduce the risk of exploitation by malicious insiders or compromised accounts.
Enable external runner mode by setting the environment variable `N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external` to isolate the JavaScript Task Runner process, limiting the scope of data exposure if exploitation occurs.
Monitor and audit user activities related to workflow creation and modification to detect suspicious behavior indicative of exploitation attempts.
Implement strict access controls and network segmentation to limit access to the n8n platform and its runner processes.
Regularly review and rotate secrets and tokens used within workflows to minimize the impact of potential disclosure.
Educate administrators and users about the risks associated with granting workflow modification permissions and the importance of applying security updates promptly. These measures combined provide a layered defense that reduces the likelihood and impact of exploitation beyond generic patching advice.

Description

n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.123.22, 2.9.3, and 2.10.1, an authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows could use the JavaScript Task Runner to allocate uninitialized memory buffers. Uninitialized buffers may contain residual data from the same Node.js process — including data from prior requests, tasks, secrets, or tokens — resulting in information disclosure of sensitive in-process data. Task Runners must be enabled using `N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED=true`. In external runner mode, the impact is limited to data within the external runner process. The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 1.123.22, 2.10.1 , and 2.9.3. Users should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the vulnerability. If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations: Limit workflow creation and editing permissions to fully trusted users only, and/or use external runner mode (`N8N_RUNNERS_MODE=external`) to isolate the runner process. These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-27496 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information residing in memory buffers within the n8n Node.js process. This can include secrets, tokens, and data from previous workflow executions, potentially leading to credential theft, unauthorized access to integrated services, or leakage of confidential business data. Since the vulnerability requires authenticated access with workflow modification permissions, the risk is elevated in environments where multiple users have such privileges or where privilege escalation is possible. The confidentiality breach could facilitate further attacks such as lateral movement or privilege escalation within an organization’s automation infrastructure. However, the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or system availability. Organizations relying on n8n for critical automation workflows may face operational risks if sensitive tokens or credentials are exposed. The impact is mitigated if external runner mode is enabled, as it confines the exposure to the isolated runner process. Overall, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality and trust in automated workflows, especially in multi-tenant or collaborative environments.

CWE-908Use of Uninitialized Resource (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: Medium
The product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized.
Implementation
Explicitly initialize the resource before use. If this is performed through an API function or standard procedure, follow all required steps.
Implementation
Pay close attention to complex conditionals that affect initialization, since some branches might not perform the initialization.
Implementation
Avoid race conditions (CWE-362) during initialization routines.
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Mar 2026, 18:01 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-908

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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