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.
Affected products
n8n: n8n
References2
- github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-jp7m-xcgx-57qm Vendor Advisory
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/n8n-permission-bypass-via-expressi… Third Party Advisory
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
6.5
MEDIUM
Score source: NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 4.0
-
6.0
MEDIUM
Score source: CNA
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 - EPSS — exploit probability
- 0% percentile: 39 · as of 15 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-639
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