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Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-56352

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click 5 weeks old

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 before 2.19.3 contains a file path restriction bypass in the legacy ExecuteWorkflow node's localFile source option, which reads workflow files from disk without the file-access checks enforced by other file-reading nodes. Although hidden from the UI since v1.2, it remains reachable via the REST API. An authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows can supply an arbitrary file path to bypass the N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO restriction and determine whether arbitrary files exist on the host; where the targeted path contains a valid workflow JSON file, that file can additionally be loaded and executed.

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

n8n before 2.19.3 has a file path restriction bypass in the legacy ExecuteWorkflow node's localFile source option. This hidden-but-API-reachable feature reads workflow files from disk without enforcing the N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO checks that other file-reading nodes implement. Authenticated users with workflow create/modify permissions can supply arbitrary file paths to not only detect file existence but also load and execute arbitrary workflow JSON files.

MitigationUpgrade to n8n version 2.19.3 or later, or if immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable/restrict access to the legacy ExecuteWorkflow node via API-level controls or network segmentation.

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

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

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 installed n8n version
    Run 'n8n --version' or check the version via the API at /rest/version, or inspect the package.json in the n8n installation directory
    Affected if Version is lower than 2.19.3 (e.g., 2.19.2, 2.18.0, etc.)
  2. Confirm ExecuteWorkflow node exists
    Check if the ExecuteWorkflow node is present in the node list by querying the API at /rest/nodes or by reviewing the nodes directory in the n8n installation
    Affected if The ExecuteWorkflow node is installed and available in the node palette
  3. Verify N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO setting
    Check the n8n server environment variables or configuration file for the N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO setting. Run 'echo $N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO' on the server or review docker/environment config
    Affected if The N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO environment variable is not set, is empty, or does not include proper restrictions preventing arbitrary file access
  4. Test API accessibility of localFile source
    Use an authenticated API request to the ExecuteWorkflow node endpoint with a localFile source parameter pointing to an arbitrary path (e.g., /etc/passwd). This hidden feature is reachable via API even if not visible in the UI
    Affected if The API accepts and processes requests to the ExecuteWorkflow node with the localFile source option, allowing arbitrary file path specification

You are affected if n8n version is below 2.19.3 AND the ExecuteWorkflow node with its localFile source option is accessible while N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO is not properly configured to block it.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to n8n version 2.19.3 or later, or if immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable/restrict access to the legacy ExecuteWorkflow node via API-level controls or network segmentation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

n8n version 2.19.3 or later

  1. Upgrade n8n to version 2.19.3 or later to remediate the path traversal vulnerability in the legacy ExecuteWorkflow node's localFile source option
  2. After upgrading, verify that the N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO configuration is still properly enforced for all file-reading nodes
  3. Confirm that authenticated users can no longer bypass file access restrictions via the REST API ExecuteWorkflow endpoint

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2026-56352 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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