Critical RCE and Credential Exposure Flaws in n8n Workflow Automation Platform (CVE‑2026‑27577, CVE‑2026‑27493)
What It Is – Researchers disclosed two critical vulnerabilities in the open‑source workflow automation tool n8n. CVE‑2026‑27577 is a sandbox‑escape that enables remote code execution (RCE) with a CVSS 9.4 score, while CVE‑2026‑27493 is an unauthenticated flaw that can expose stored credentials and also achieve RCE (CVSS 9.5). Both issues have been patched, but unpatched deployments remain at severe risk.
Exploitability – Public PoCs for the sandbox escape have been released, and the unauthenticated credential‑exposure bug can be triggered without any prior access. Active exploitation has not been reported yet, but the low barrier to abuse makes exploitation highly probable.
Affected Products – n8n (self‑hosted and cloud‑hosted instances) – any version prior to the March 2026 security release. The platform is used to stitch together SaaS APIs, on‑premise services, and internal tools.
TPRM Impact – Organizations that rely on n8n as a third‑party integration layer face supply‑chain risk: a compromised n8n instance can execute arbitrary commands on the host, harvest API keys, database credentials, and other secrets, and then pivot to downstream vendors. The breach surface extends to any partner services invoked by compromised workflows.
Recommended Actions –
- Immediately apply the March 2026 n8n security patch on all instances.
- Conduct an inventory of all n8n deployments (self‑hosted, managed, SaaS) and verify version compliance.
- Rotate all API keys, tokens, and stored credentials that were managed by n8n prior to patching.
- Review workflow definitions for suspicious commands or external calls that could indicate prior abuse.
- Implement network segmentation and least‑privilege execution contexts for n8n containers/VMs.
- Update third‑party risk registers to reflect the elevated risk of workflow‑automation providers.
Source: The Hacker News – Critical n8n Flaws Allow Remote Code Execution and Exposure of Stored Credentials