Auth bypass in N8n
CVE-2026-59259
n8n before versions 1.123.61, 2.27.4, and 2.28.1 contains a permission bypass vulnerability in external secrets handling caused by a mismatch between the static validation check and the runtime expression engine. An authenticated user with credential create or update permissions but without the externalSecret:list scope can embed external secret references into credentials in forms the static validation does not detect; these references resolve at workflow execution time, exposing secret values the user is not authorized to access. This issue only affects instances where an external secrets provider is configured and Advanced Permissions are in use.
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: 0.004 (37.0th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 37th percentile — 37.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.004 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- N8n — versions 1.123.61, 2.27.4, 0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-jp7m-xcgx-57qm (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/n8n-permission-bypass-via-expression-parser-mismat… (Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-59259?
- CVE-2026-59259 is a medium-severity vulnerability in N8n, classified under Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2026-07-15.
- How severe is CVE-2026-59259?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.