Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-27497

RCE in N8N ≤ 1.123.22

Published
25 February 2026
Modified
04 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 9.4
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/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
EPSS Score 0.0076 52th percentile
Risk Priority 42 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-27497 is a critical-severity SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerability in N8N N8N. Its CVSS base score is 9.4 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 48% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-27497 is a high-severity vulnerability in n8n, an open-source workflow automation platform, affecting versions prior to 2.10.1, 2.9.3, and 1.123.22. It stems from improper handling in the Merge node's SQL query mode, enabling an authenticated user with permissions to create or modify workflows to execute arbitrary code and write arbitrary files on the n8n server. The issue maps to CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) and CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code), earning a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Exploitation requires an authenticated attacker with low privileges, specifically the ability to create or edit workflows, and can be performed remotely over the network with low complexity and no user interaction. Successful attacks allow arbitrary code execution and file writes on the server, potentially resulting in complete server compromise, data exfiltration, persistence, or lateral movement.

n8n has addressed the vulnerability in releases 2.10.1, 2.9.3, and 1.123.22, with security advisories and release notes recommending immediate upgrades to these or later versions for full remediation. Temporary mitigations include restricting workflow creation and editing permissions to fully trusted users only and disabling the Merge node by adding `n8n-nodes-base.merge` to the `NODES_EXCLUDE` environment variable; however, these are partial measures and not substitutes for patching.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 2.10.1, 2.9.3, and 1.123.22, an authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows could leverage the Merge node's SQL query mode to execute arbitrary code and write arbitrary…

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files on the n8n server. The issues have been fixed in n8n versions 2.10.1, 2.9.3, and 1.123.22. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate all known vulnerabilities. If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations. Limit workflow creation and editing permissions to fully trusted users only, and/or disable the Merge node by adding `n8n-nodes-base.merge` to the `NODES_EXCLUDE` environment variable. These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-33660Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-27498Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-27577Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-27495Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-42234Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-0863Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-27493Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-21877Same product: N8N N8N
CVE-2026-27876Shared CWE-89, CWE-94
CVE-2024-44430Shared CWE-89, CWE-94

Affected Assets

n8n
n8n
≤ 1.123.22 · 2.0.0 — 2.9.3 · 2.10.0 — 2.10.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V6.2.5
  • V1.3.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation can discover SQLi flaws before deployment but does not stop their introduction.

Input validation directly stops untrusted data from reaching SQL query construction without neutralization.

Least privilege limits the damage an injected code fragment can perform once executed.

Requiring documented secure development standards and tools enforces use of safe code-generation APIs and escaping.

Secure engineering principles require parameterized queries and input sanitization that structurally eliminate SQLi.

System monitoring can identify attempted SQLi exploitation via anomalous queries after the weakness exists.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly target injection flaws during coding and review so largely prevent CWE-89 introduction, yet the single broad outcome leaves residual risk from incomplete neutralization techniques or missed edge cases.

PR.AT-02 partial match
prevents

Training raises developer awareness of SQLi risks and can reduce introduction likelihood (partial) but removes none of the actual coding flaw's risk by itself since technical neutralization is still required.

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

The same secure-coding and static-analysis activities surface missing neutralization of SQL metacharacters before the system is accepted.

prevents

Early warnings and shared best-practice information help organizations apply the latest remediation techniques against SQL-injection vulnerabilities.

prevents

Threat-intelligence feeds that surface new SQL-injection campaigns enable rapid updates to query-construction defenses and detection signatures before exploitation occurs.

prevents

Secure-coding rules and security testing phases mandate the use of parameterized queries or equivalent escaping, preventing the construction of dynamic SQL statements from untrusted input.

prevents

Language-specific secure coding rules, peer review and SAST together prevent the construction of SQL statements from untrusted data without proper parameterization or escaping.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References