Auth bypass in N8n

CVE-2026-42227

n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1, 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. This issue has been patched in versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1.

Vulnerability class: IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference)

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.003 (25.3th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 25th percentile — 25.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-42227: held from 0.002 to 0.003.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.003 · change: +0.001

Affected products

  • N8n — versions 2.18.0
  • N8n-Io N8n — versions < 1.123.32, >= 2.17.0, < 2.17.4, >= 2.18.0, < 2.18.1

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-42227?
CVE-2026-42227 is a medium-severity vulnerability in N8n, classified under Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2026-05-04.
How severe is CVE-2026-42227?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.