CVE-2026-86079: n8n Path Injection Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f2cp-m7mv-8jpv
Share
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-86079 is a MODERATE path injection vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting n8n libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path injection in elasticsearch and elasticsecurity nodes via unencoded identifiers. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.38.2, 1.123.76, 2.37.7.

CVE-2026-86079 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-86079
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f2cp-m7mv-8jpv
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product n8n
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-86079

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected n8n dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

n8n fixed: 2.38.2 
npm install n8n@2.38.2
n8n fixed: 1.123.76 
npm install n8n@1.123.76
n8n fixed: 2.37.7 
npm install n8n@2.37.7
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls n8n

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-86079, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls n8n

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of n8n in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.38.2), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls n8n command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In n8n, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Impact The Elasticsearch and ElasticSecurity nodes built REST endpoints by interpolating user-provided identifiers straight into the request path. A value containing path separators or dot segments changed which endpoint the request actually reached, so an operation intended for one document could hit another index or a cluster administration endpoint instead, under the stored Elasticsearch credential. The patch encodes each identifier as a single URL path segment and rejects values that normalise away. ## 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: - Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only. - Disable the affected nodes by adding `n8n-nodes-base.elasticsearch` and `n8n-nodes-base.elasticSecurity` to the `NODES_EXCLUDE` environment variable if they are not required. - Audit existing workflows that use these nodes and ensure that index and document identifier fields do not accept externally-controlled input. These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.

CVE-2026-86079 Affected n8n Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.38.21.123.762.37.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
n8n
npm/n8n
npm
≥ 2.38.0
< 2.38.2
2.38.2
n8n
npm/n8n
npm
< 1.123.76
1.123.76
n8n
npm/n8n
npm
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.37.7
2.37.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-f2cp-m7mv-8jpv
NVD — CVE-2026-86079 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86079
n8n Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n
n8n Release RELEASE
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@1.123.76
n8n Release RELEASE
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@2.37.7
n8n Release RELEASE
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@2.38.2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-86079?
CVE-2026-86079 is a security vulnerability in n8n involving Path Injection in Elasticsearch and ElasticSecurity Nodes via Unencoded Identifiers under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which n8n versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.38.2, 1.123.76, 2.37.7 across affected packages: n8n.
What version fixes CVE-2026-86079?
Upgrading to 2.38.2, 1.123.76, 2.37.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is n8n affected?
Yes, n8n is affected in releases prior to 2.38.2, 1.123.76, 2.37.7. Upgrade your dependency to 2.38.2, 1.123.76, 2.37.7 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-86079?
CVE-2026-86079 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-86079?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls n8n'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-f2cp-m7mv-8jpv",
  "modified" : "2026-09-10T21:05:43Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-10T21:05:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-86079" ],
  "summary" : "n8n: Path Injection in Elasticsearch and ElasticSecurity Nodes via Unencoded Identifiers",
  "details" : "## Impact\n\nThe Elasticsearch and ElasticSecurity nodes built REST endpoints by interpolating user-provided identifiers straight into the request path. A value containing path separators or dot segments changed which endpoint the request actually reached, so an operation intended for one document could hit another index or a cluster administration endpoint instead, under the stored Elasticsearch credential. The patch encodes each identifier as a single URL path segment and rejects values that normalise away.\n\n## Patches\n\nThe 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.\n\n## Workarounds\n\nIf upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:\n- Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.\n- Disable the affected nodes by adding `n8n-nodes-base.elasticsearch` and `n8n-nodes-base.elasticSecurity` to the `NODES_EXCLUDE` environment variable if they are not required.\n- Audit existing workflows that use these nodes and ensure that index and document identifier fields do not accept externally-controlled input.\n\nThese workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "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"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "n8n"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.123.76"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "n8n"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.38.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.38.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "n8n"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.37.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-f2cp-m7mv-8jpv"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86079"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@1.123.76"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@2.37.7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@2.38.2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-10T21:05:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-08T22:19:16Z"
  }
}