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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-42227: n8n has Public API Variables IDOR that Allows Cross-Project Secret Disclosure

Affects n8nSource GCVE Database

0
Authoritative record:CVE-2026-42227· Medium 6.0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.0 Medium : upgrade to 1.123.32 when convenient.

Data as of 27 Oct 2026, 00:07 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score
6.0Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
Patch
Available – fixed in 1.123.32, 2.18.1, 2.17.4
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 4 May 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade n8n to 1.123.32; n8n to 2.18.1; n8n to 2.17.4.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
npmn8nAffected
  • <1.123.32
Fixed in
  • 1.123.32
npmn8nAffected
  • >=2.18.0 <2.18.1
Fixed in
  • 2.18.1
npmn8nAffected
  • >=2.0.0 <2.17.4
Fixed in
  • 2.17.4

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

Description

## Impact An authenticated user with a valid API key scoped to `variable:list` could read variables from projects they are not a member of by supplying an arbitrary `projectId` query parameter to the public API variables endpoint. The handler queried the variables repository directly without enforcing project membership checks, bypassing the authorization-aware service layer used by the internal enterprise controller. If variables were misused to store sensitive information such as credentials or tokens, they should be rotated immediately. This issue only affects licensed enterprise or team deployments with multiple projects and the variables feature enabled. ## Patches The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability. ## Workarounds If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations: - Restrict n8n access and API key issuance to fully trusted users only. - Audit existing project variables for sensitive values and rotate any secrets that may have been exposed. These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.

References

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