Code Injection in n8n (CVE-2026-86083)
Summary
Code injection in n8n (CVE-2026-86083). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. Exploitable via JSON.stringify. Mitigation: upgrade to 2.37.7 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
Impact
Two stages of expression code generation built source text by calling the global JSON.stringify at generation time: the compiler when printing synthetic string literals, and the isolate bridge when interpolating a timezone value into its per-evaluation wrapper. An expression that replaced that global therefore changed the code that was subsequently generated and executed, turning literal data into executable source. The patch renders both code-generation stages through a reference captured at module load, so a later change to global state cannot alter the generated source.
This vulnerability only affects instances running the legacy expression engine. The vm expression engine, which is the default on the patched releases, is not affected.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2. 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:
- Set the environment variable
N8N_EXPRESSION_ENGINE=vmto switch to the vm expression engine, which is not affected by this vulnerability. - Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.
- Ensure the n8n process runs under a dedicated low-privilege OS user account to limit the impact of any command execution.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-86083 has been found in n8n.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like JSON.stringify over the network to misuse the product.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 8.8/10.
What to do: upgrade n8n to 2.37.7 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "n8n CVE-2026-86083" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-86083 (n8n) — CWE-94 / CVSS v3 8.8
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Attack surface: JSON.stringify
Patched: 2.37.7 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Arbitrary code execution (CWE-94) exists in n8n. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via JSON.stringify.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of n8n. Attack surface: JSON.stringify.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to 2.37.7.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'n8n' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'n8n' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
n8nを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Apply patch patch
Upgrade n8n to 2.37.7ステージング環境で 2.37.7 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスを含めること。
-
3Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
References
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web nvd.nist.gov
- web github.com