CVE-2026-119557 in n8n
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
n8n from 2.14.0 through 2.46.3 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the Databricks node that allows unauthenticated attackers to reach arbitrary Databricks API endpoints by injecting unencoded resource identifiers. Attackers can supply ../ sequences and query strings via webhook, chat, or form inputs mapped to spaceId, indexName, or filePath to read secrets using the stored credential.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The vulnerability identified in n8n versions 2.14.0 through 2.46.3 represents a critical path traversal and API endpoint manipulation flaw within the Databricks integration node. This security defect stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms when processing user-supplied data that is mapped to specific configuration parameters such as spaceId, indexName, or filePath. Because these inputs are directly concatenated into resource identifiers without proper encoding or boundary checks, an attacker can inject directory traversal sequences like ../ to manipulate the underlying API request structure. This flaw effectively bypasses intended access controls by allowing unauthenticated actors to redirect requests away from their designated endpoints toward arbitrary Databricks API destinations.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory and CWE-918 Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). The core issue lies in the application's failure to validate that the provided identifiers correspond strictly to expected resource paths. By injecting unencoded characters, attackers can alter the URL path or query parameters sent to the Databricks API server. This manipulation enables the attacker to specify arbitrary endpoints rather than being confined to the intended functionality of the node. The presence of this flaw in webhook, chat, and form inputs highlights a systemic failure in input handling across multiple interaction vectors within the n8n workflow automation platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its unauthenticated nature and the high privileges typically associated with Databricks credentials stored within the application. An attacker who exploits this flaw can leverage the stored credential embedded in the n8n configuration to authenticate against the Databricks API. Once authenticated, the ability to query arbitrary endpoints allows for extensive data exfiltration, including sensitive secrets, pipeline configurations, and user metadata. This capability effectively compromises the integrity of the entire data platform managed by Databricks, as the attacker gains a foothold that can be used to escalate privileges or pivot further into connected systems using the stolen credentials.
This attack vector is consistent with MITRE ATT&CK techniques such as T1078 Valid Accounts and T1534 Internal Spearphishing if combined with social engineering, though in this context it primarily facilitates unauthorized access through credential abuse. The exploitation does not require prior authentication to n8n itself, making it particularly dangerous for instances exposed to the internet or accessible by untrusted users via public-facing forms or webhooks. The ability to read secrets using stored credentials transforms a simple input validation error into a full-scale compromise of cloud infrastructure assets linked to Databricks services.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching and configuration hardening. Users running n8n versions 2.14.0 through 2.46.3 should upgrade to the latest stable release where this path traversal flaw has been remediated by implementing strict input validation, URL encoding enforcement, and allow-listing of permitted API endpoints for the Databricks node. In environments where upgrading is not immediately feasible, administrators should restrict network access to n8n instances behind firewalls that block outbound connections to external cloud APIs unless explicitly required. Additionally, rotating any credentials stored within the affected n8n instance is critical to invalidate tokens potentially harvested during exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of workflow inputs and disabling unnecessary webhook or form endpoints can further reduce the attack surface available for such traversal attacks.