dbcve.org
N8nApplication

CVE-2026-25052

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.123.18 / 2.5.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click Patch available

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 · unedited
n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.123.18 and 2.5.0, a vulnerability in the file access controls allows authenticated users with permission to create or modify workflows to read sensitive files from the n8n host system. This can be exploited to obtain critical configuration data and user credentials, leading to complete account takeover of any user on the instance. This issue has been patched in versions 1.123.18 and 2.5.0.

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 · high confidence

A path traversal vulnerability in n8n's file access controls allows authenticated users with workflow create/modify permissions to read arbitrary files from the host system, exposing configuration files and user credentials that enable complete account takeover.

MitigationUpgrade n8n to version 1.123.18 or 2.5.0 or later to patch the arbitrary file read vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
N8nApplication
Affected:< 1.123.18>= 2.0.0, < 2.5.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed n8n version
    Run `n8n --version` from the command line, check the Docker image tag, or look in package.json if self-hosted
    Affected if The version is less than 1.123.18 OR greater than or equal to 2.0.0 but less than 2.5.0
  2. Verify workflow create/modify permissions exist
    Check user roles and permissions in n8n admin panel under Users or Roles settings, or query the database for users with workflow create or workflow edit privileges
    Affected if Any user role includes workflow create or workflow modify permissions (not limited to admin-only)
  3. Check if file operation nodes are available
    Look for enabled nodes related to file operations in n8n (e.g., Read Binary File, Write Binary File, or similar file-related nodes) under Settings > Nodes or in the workflow editor node list
    Affected if File operation nodes are enabled and accessible to users with workflow permissions
  4. Inspect file access configuration settings
    Check n8n configuration files (config.yaml or environment variables) for settings related to file access, such as allowed directories or file node permissions
    Affected if File access is not restricted to safe directories or file node execution is permitted for non-admin users

You are affected if your n8n version falls in the vulnerable range AND non-admin users have workflow create/modify permissions AND file operation features are accessible to them.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.123.18 / 2.5.0 or later
Fixed in 1.123.182.5.0
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade n8n to version 1.123.18 or 2.5.0 or later to patch the arbitrary file read vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

n8n version 1.123.18 or 2.5.0

  1. 1. Backup your n8n database and configuration files before upgrading
  2. 2. Stop the n8n service to prevent data corruption during upgrade
  3. 3. Upgrade n8n to version 1.123.18 (if staying on 1.x branch) or version 2.5.0 (if moving to 2.x branch)
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking the n8n version after restart
  5. 5. Restart the n8n service
  6. 6. Test that workflows function correctly after the upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in N8n Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-25052 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-25052 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data