CVE-2026-15521
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability was identified in makafeli n8n-workflow-builder up to 0.11.0. Affected is an unknown function of the file build/server.cjs of the component update_node_from_file. The manipulation of the argument filePath leads to path traversal. An attack has to be approached locally. The exploit is publicly available and might be used. The project was informed of the problem early through an issue report but has not responded yet.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA path traversal vulnerability exists in makafeli n8n-workflow-builder (versions up to 0.11.0) within the update_node_from_file function in build/server.cjs. The filePath argument is not properly validated, allowing attackers to manipulate paths using directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../../) to access files outside the intended directory. This is a local attack vector.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if n8n-workflow-builder is installedSearch for the package in node_modules: find / -path '*/node_modules/n8n-workflow-builder' -type d 2>/dev/null, or check package.json dependenciesAffected if The package is found in the environment
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Determine the installed versionRun 'npm list n8n-workflow-builder' in the project directory, or check package.json for the version field, or check node_modules/n8n-workflow-builder/package.jsonAffected if Version is 0.11.0 or lower (any version up to and including 0.11.0)
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Locate the vulnerable fileFind build/server.cjs within the n8n-workflow-builder package directory: find <package_path> -name 'server.cjs' -path '*/build/*'Affected if The file exists in the installed package
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Verify the vulnerable function existsExamine build/server.cjs and search for the function named 'update_node_from_file'Affected if The function is present in the code
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Check if the function is invoked with external inputSearch code that calls update_node_from_file and trace whether the filePath parameter can be controlled by user input or external sourcesAffected if User-controllable input reaches the filePath parameter without validation
The environment is affected if n8n-workflow-builder version 0.11.0 or lower is installed and the update_node_from_file function in build/server.cjs processes user-controlled filePath arguments without path validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement strict path validation to ensure filePath resolves within an allowed directory; validate and canonicalize paths before use, reject paths containing traversal sequences, or restrict the function to a specific base directory.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-15521 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-15521 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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