EUVD-2026-44634
GHSA-3j7v-fhjg-6rh2
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/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
Network-reachable, low complexity, authenticated (PR:L project editor), scope change to external secret systems, high confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
n8n before 2.28.1 contains an information disclosure vulnerability where external secrets are incorrectly resolved in workflow node expressions outside credentials scope. Authenticated project editors can read plaintext external secret values by referencing them in node expressions without requiring explicit secrets access permissions.
AnalysisAI
Unauthorized external secret disclosure in n8n before 2.28.1 allows authenticated project editors to read plaintext secret values from external secret managers by embedding references in workflow node expressions. The flaw bypasses the intended access control model: users with project editor roles - who are not granted explicit secrets access permissions - can nonetheless resolve and exfiltrate secrets via expression syntax. No public exploit or active exploitation has been identified, but the CVSS 4.0 vector assigns SC:H (high confidentiality impact on subsequent systems), reflecting that secrets stored in downstream vaults or secret managers are fully exposed to insufficiently privileged users.
Technical ContextAI
n8n is an open-source, self-hostable workflow automation platform that integrates with external secret managers (such as HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or similar providers) to inject secrets into workflow credentials. The affected code path incorrectly resolves these external secret references when they appear in general workflow node expressions - a context outside the credentials scope where secret resolution is intentionally guarded. CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) captures the root cause: a project editor can craft a user-controlled expression key that references an external secret name, and the platform resolves and returns the plaintext value without verifying that the caller holds the appropriate secrets access permission. CPE confirms all versions of n8n prior to 2.28.1 are affected: cpe:2.3:a:n8n:n8n:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*.
RemediationAI
Upgrade n8n to version 2.28.1 or later, which resolves the secret resolution scope enforcement issue per the vendor's security advisory GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99 (https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99). If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict the project editor role to trusted users only, as the vulnerability requires that role to exploit - removing unnecessary project editor assignments reduces the attacker population to zero in environments with strict role hygiene. A secondary workaround is to temporarily disable external secrets integrations until patching is complete, though this will break any workflows that rely on secret injection and represents a significant operational trade-off. Monitoring workflow expression content for patterns matching secret reference syntax could serve as a detective control. The VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/n8n-external-secrets-disclosure-via-workflow-node-expressions provides additional context.
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External POC / Exploit Code
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