n8n: LDAP Email-Based Account Linking Allows Privilege Escalation and Account Takeover
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-33665 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-03-25 18:16:32 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-03-30 14:23:59 UTC |
| Description | n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 2.4.0 and 1.121.0, when LDAP authentication is enabled, n8n automatically linked an LDAP identity to an existing local account if the LDAP email attribute matched the local account's email. An authenticated LDAP user who could control their own LDAP email attribute could set it to match another user's email — including an administrator's — and upon login gain full access to that account. The account linkage persisted even if the LDAP email was later reverted, resulting in a permanent account takeover. LDAP authentication must be configured and active (non-default). The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 2.4.0 and 1.121.0. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability. If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations: Disable LDAP authentication until the instance can be upgraded, restrict LDAP directory permissions so that users cannot modify their own email attributes, and/or audit existing LDAP-linked accounts for unexpected account associations. These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 8.8 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Problem Types: CWE-287 | CWE-287 CWE-287: Improper Authentication
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 8.8 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:L/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | DECLARED | 8.8 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:L |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 7.5 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
PresentPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneSub Conf.
HighSub Integrity
HighSub Availability
LowCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-c545-x2rh-82fc | [email protected] | github.com | Vendor Advisory, Mitigation |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.