GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99
n8n: External Secrets Accessible via Workflow Expressions Outside Credentials
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
n8nnpmDescription
Impact
External secrets were incorrectly resolved in workflow node expressions, where they are not intended to be available. An authenticated user with project editor access could read the plaintext value of external secrets by referencing them in a node expression, without needing explicit secrets access permissions.
This issue only affects instances with the external secrets feature configured.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 2.27.4 and 2.28.1. 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:
- Restrict project membership to fully trusted users only.
- Avoid granting editor access to projects on instances where external secrets are configured.
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 | ≥ 2.28.0&&< 2.28.1 | 2.28.1 |
| 📦npm | n8n | all versions | 2.27.4 |
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 2.28.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99 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 GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99 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 GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.