n8n - Permission Bypass via Expression Parser Mismatch in External Secrets
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-59259 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | VulnCheck |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-07-15 12:18:17 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-07-15 20:15:56 UTC |
| Description | 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 6 MEDIUM from [email protected]
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/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-639 | CWE-639 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 6 | MEDIUM | 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/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 6 | MEDIUM | 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 |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
PresentPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
NoneAvailability
NoneSub Conf.
NoneSub Integrity
NoneSub Availability
NoneCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/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
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | N8n | N8n | affected 1.123.61 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | N8n | N8n | unaffected 1.123.61 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | N8n | N8n | affected 2.28.1 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | N8n | N8n | unaffected 2.28.1 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | N8n | N8n | affected 2.27.4 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | N8n | N8n | unaffected 2.27.4 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-jp7m-xcgx-57qm | [email protected] | github.com | |
| www.vulncheck.com/advisories/n8n-permission-bypass-via-expression-parser-mismat... | [email protected] | www.vulncheck.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: YLChen-007 (en)
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.