CVE-2026-42232
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 · uneditedn8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1, an authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows could achieve global prototype pollution via the XML Node leading to RCE when combined with other nodes exploiting the prototype pollution. This issue has been patched in versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1.
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 confidenceAn authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows can achieve global prototype pollution via the XML Node in n8n. This prototype pollution can be chained with other nodes to achieve remote code execution.
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< 1.123.32>= 2.17.0, < 2.17.4= 2.18.0CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed n8n versionRun 'n8n --version' from command line, check the Docker image tag, or inspect package.json in the installation directoryAffected if Version is less than 1.123.32, OR between 2.17.0 and 2.17.3 inclusive, OR exactly 2.18.0
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Verify XML node is availableCheck if the XML node appears in the n8n node list by accessing the nodes menu in the UI or inspecting node definition files in the installationAffected if XML node is present and enabled in the n8n instance
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Confirm user permissions for workflow modificationReview user roles and permissions in n8n settings under 'Users' or 'IAM' to determine which users have 'workflow:create' or 'workflow:update' permissionsAffected if Any user account has workflow creation or modification permissions enabled (this is the exploitation prerequisite)
You are affected if n8n version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the XML node is available AND users with workflow modification permissions exist in the system.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.123.322.17.4
Upgrade to n8n versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, or 2.18.1 or later. Restrict workflow creation/modify permissions to trusted users until patching is complete.
Upgrade to n8n version 1.123.32 (for v1.x), 2.17.4 (for v2.17.x), or 2.18.1 (for v2.18.x) depending on your current major version branch
- Backup your n8n instance data and configuration before upgrading
- Stop the n8n service
- For Docker deployments: Update the Docker image to the fixed version tag (e.g., docker pull n8nio/n8n:1.123.32 or n8nio/n8n:2.18.1)
- For npm installations: Run 'npm install -g n8n@<fixed-version>' to install the patched version
- For manual installations: Download and replace n8n files with version 1.123.32, 2.17.4, or 2.18.1 as appropriate for your major version line
- Restart the n8n service
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the UI or via CLI
- Test that the XML node functions correctly and that prototype pollution is no longer possible
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-42232 — 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-2026-42232 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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- 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
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