CVE-2026-86083 — n8n
CVE-2026-86083 is a Code Injection vulnerability in n8n. A fix is available for n8n — see the affected versions and patch details below.
n8n: Expression Sandbox Escape via Shared Builtin Tampering and Code-Printer Injection Leads to Code Execution
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- 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-2026-86083.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
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
Impact
Two stages of expression code generation built source text by calling the global JSON.stringify at generation time: the compiler when printing synthetic string literals, and the isolate bridge when interpolating a timezone value into its per-evaluation wrapper. An expression that replaced that global therefore changed the code that was subsequently generated and executed, turning literal data into executable source. The patch renders both code-generation stages through a reference captured at module load, so a later change to global state cannot alter the generated source.
This vulnerability only affects instances running the legacy expression engine. The vm expression engine, which is the default on the patched releases, is not affected.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability.
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Set the environment variable
N8N_EXPRESSION_ENGINE=vmto switch to the vm expression engine, which is not affected by this vulnerability. - Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.
- Ensure the n8n process runs under a dedicated low-privilege OS user account to limit the impact of any command execution.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | n8n | all versions | 1.123.76npm install n8n@1.123.76 |
| 📦npm | n8n | ≥ 2.38.0&&< 2.38.2 | 2.38.2npm install n8n@2.38.2 |
| 📦npm | n8n | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.37.7 | 2.37.7npm install n8n@2.37.7 |
Affected Products
n8nn8nDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for n8n, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update n8n to 1.123.76 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-86083 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-86083 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.