CVE-2026-54311
CVE-2026-54311 is a CWE-488 vulnerability in n8n. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-54311 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
n8n: Merge Node SQL Mode Prototype Pollution
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-54311.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
n8nnpmDescription
n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to 2.25.7 and 2.26.2, an authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows could pollute the sandbox used by the Merge node's SQL Query mode. Because the sandbox context was cached and reused across all workflow executions on the instance, prototype mutations introduced by one user's workflow persist into subsequent Merge SQL executions belonging to other users or projects. This allowed a low-privileged attacker to intercept workflow data processed by other users on the same instance. This issue only affects multi-user n8n instances where more than one user has permission to create and execute workflows containing the Merge node in SQL Query mode. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.25.7 and 2.26.2.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | n8n | ≥ 2.26.0&&< 2.26.2 | 2.26.2 |
| 📦npm | n8n | all versions | 2.25.7 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for n8n. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update n8n to 2.26.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-54311 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-54311 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-54311. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-54311 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-54311 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.