High severity · published May 4, 2026
CVE-2026-42231
n8n: Prototype Pollution in XML Webhook Body Parser Leads to RCE
8.8
CVSS
0.9%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1, a flaw in the xml2js library used to parse XML request bodies in n8n's webhook handler allowed prototype pollution via a crafted XML payload. An authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows could exploit this to pollute the JavaScript object prototype and, by chaining the pollution with the Git node's SSH operations, achieve remote code execution on the n8n host. This issue has been patched in versions 1.123.32, 2.17.4, and 2.18.1.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.9% · higher than 58% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
N8
n8n · n8n-io
< 1.123.32; >= 2.17.0, < 2.17.4; >= 2.18.0, < 2.18.1 · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42231
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42231
Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-q5f4-99jv-pgg5
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