CVE-2026-85165
Received Received - Intake

Expression Sandbox Bypass in n8n Workflows

Publication date: 2026-09-03

Last updated on: 2026-09-03

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
n8n versions before 2.36.2 contain an expression sandbox bypass vulnerability where free identifiers in spread, computed-key, switch-case, or class-extension positions resolve against process globals. Authenticated users with workflow-edit permission can mutate host objects through expression evaluation, with changes persisting process-wide until restart.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-03
Last Modified
2026-09-03
Generated
2026-09-03
AI Q&A
2026-09-03
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-85165
EUVD
EUVD-2026-70400

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
n8n n8n to 2.36.2 (exc)
n8n n8n to 2.35.4 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-95 The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes code syntax before using the input in a dynamic evaluation call (e.g. "eval").

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

n8n versions before 2.36.2 have an expression sandbox bypass vulnerability. Authenticated users with workflow-edit permissions can exploit free identifiers in spread, computed-key, switch-case, or class-extension positions to resolve against process globals. This allows mutation of host objects through expression evaluation, with changes persisting process-wide until a restart.

Detection Guidance

Check n8n version with: n8n --version. If version is below 2.36.2, the system is vulnerable. Monitor for unauthorized workflow edits or unexpected object mutations in logs.

Impact Analysis

Attackers with low privileges can achieve high integrity and availability impacts. Unauthorized modifications to shared objects persist across all subsequent expression evaluations until the n8n process restarts. This may lead to data corruption, system instability, or unintended behavior in workflows.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade n8n to version 2.36.2 or later immediately. Restrict workflow-edit permissions to trusted users only. Restart the n8n process periodically as a temporary measure.

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