CVE-2026-86993 in n8n
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2026
n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2, a Log Streaming event destination could reference a generic HTTP credential and decrypt whichever credential ID it named without an ownership check. A user with a custom global role carrying Log Streaming scopes could select a credential belonging to another project and send its decrypted secret to an attacker-controlled endpoint. The affected authorization boundary is packages/cli/src/modules/log-streaming.ee/destinations/destination-credentials-access.ts and the credential:read scope. This issue is fixed in versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7 and 2.38.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2026
The vulnerability identified in n8n prior to versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2 represents a critical failure in access control logic within the Log Streaming feature of this open-source workflow automation platform. The core technical flaw resides in the credential resolution mechanism located at packages/cli/src/modules/log-streaming.ee/destinations/destination-credentials-access.ts. When a user initiates a log streaming event destination, the system is designed to retrieve and decrypt specific credentials required for authentication or data transmission. However, the implementation lacked an ownership verification step during this retrieval process. Specifically, while the system checked if the requesting user possessed the credential:read scope within their custom global role, it failed to verify that the referenced credential ID actually belonged to a project owned by that same user or organization. This omission allowed any authenticated user with sufficient Log Streaming permissions to bypass organizational boundaries and access sensitive data belonging to other tenants or projects within the instance.
From an operational perspective, this flaw enables unauthorized decryption of secrets stored in n8n credentials. An attacker possessing a custom global role with Log Streaming scopes could construct a request targeting a credential ID associated with another project. Because the backend logic did not enforce strict ownership checks before decrypting and returning the secret value, the system would successfully process the request and transmit the decrypted sensitive information to an endpoint controlled by the attacker. This constitutes a severe data exposure risk, as n8n credentials often contain API keys, database passwords, OAuth tokens, or other high-value authentication materials essential for integrating with external services such as Slack, Salesforce, AWS, or custom webhooks. The ability to exfiltrate these secrets without proper authorization undermines the multi-tenancy and security isolation guarantees expected in enterprise deployments of workflow automation tools.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-284 Improper Access Control, specifically reflecting a failure to enforce ownership restrictions on resources accessed via API endpoints. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1530 Data from Cloud Storage Object or potentially T1078 Valid Accounts if the attacker leverages compromised credentials obtained through this flaw for further lateral movement within connected systems. The root cause is a classic authorization bypass where functional permissions (the ability to read credentials) are granted without contextual validation of resource ownership, leading to insecure direct object references in practice.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running affected versions must immediately upgrade n8n to version 1.123.76, 2.37.7, or 2.38.2, where the access control logic has been corrected to include rigorous ownership verification before decrypting and exposing credential secrets. In addition to upgrading, administrators should audit existing custom global roles that grant Log Streaming scopes to ensure they are assigned only to trusted users who require such privileges for legitimate workflow automation tasks. Implementing strict least-privilege principles by limiting the scope of these roles can further reduce the attack surface. Furthermore, organizations should monitor their log streaming endpoints and outbound network traffic for unusual patterns indicating potential exfiltration attempts, although this is a reactive measure compared to the definitive fix provided by the software update.