n8n: External Secrets Accessible via Workflow Expressions Outside Credentials
MediumCVE-2026-59254 · Published Jul 22, 2026
Affected versions
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n8n npm | >= 2.28.0, < 2.28.1 | 2.28.1 |
| < 2.27.4 | 2.27.4 |
Details and references
## 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.
- CVSS 4.0
- 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
- Severity from
- GitHub (reviewed advisory)
- Weakness
- CWE-639
- Also known as
- CVE-2026-59254
- github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-2434-3x6q-8r99
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59254
- github.com/n8n-io/n8n
- github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n%402.27.4
- github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n%402.28.1
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/n8n-external-secrets-disclosure-via-workflow-node-expressions
More n8n advisories
All n8n| Date | Advisory | Severity | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22 | n8n: AI Agents Project Viewer Privilege Escalation via run_node_tool CVE-2026-65015Highfixed in 2.29.8, 2.30.1 | High | 2.29.8, 2.30.1 |
| Jul 22 | n8n: Race Condition in Git Clone Node Allows Authenticated Users to Achieve Remote Code Execution CVE-2026-65598Highfixed in 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 | High | 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 |
| Jul 22 | n8n: DOM-Based XSS via Unsandboxed iframe srcdoc in HTML Preview CVE-2026-65597Highfixed in 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 | High | 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 |
| Jul 22 | n8n: Stored DOM XSS via Resource Locator `cachedResultUrl` CVE-2026-65592Highfixed in 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 | High | 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 |
| Jul 22 | n8n: Google Service Account Private Key Exposed in JWT Header CVE-2026-65599Mediumfixed in 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 | Medium | 1.123.64, 2.29.8, 2.30.1 |
| Jul 22 | n8n: Shared Credential Header Leak via HTTP Request Pagination Expression CVE-2026-59209Highfixed in 1.123.61, 2.27.4, 2.28.1 | High | 1.123.61, 2.27.4, 2.28.1 |