n8n before versions 1.123.61, 2.27.4, and 2.28.1 contains a permission bypass vulnerability in external secrets handling caused by a mismatch between the static validation check and the runtime expression engine. An authenticated user with credential create or update permissions but without the externalSecret:list scope can embed external secret references into credentials in forms the static validation does not detect; these references resolve at workflow execution time, exposing secret values the user is not authorized to access. This issue only affects instances where an external secrets provider is configured and Advanced Permissions are in use.
History

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description n8n before versions 1.123.61, 2.27.4, and 2.28.1 contains a permission bypass vulnerability in external secrets handling caused by a mismatch between the static validation check and the runtime expression engine. An authenticated user with credential create or update permissions but without the externalSecret:list scope can embed external secret references into credentials in forms the static validation does not detect; these references resolve at workflow execution time, exposing secret values the user is not authorized to access. This issue only affects instances where an external secrets provider is configured and Advanced Permissions are in use.
Title n8n - Permission Bypass via Expression Parser Mismatch in External Secrets
First Time appeared N8n
N8n n8n
Weaknesses CWE-639
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:n8n:n8n:*:*:*:*:enterprise:node.js:*:*
Vendors & Products N8n
N8n n8n
References
Metrics cvssV4_0

{'score': 6, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N'}


cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: VulnCheck

Published: 2026-07-15T11:25:35.530Z

Updated: 2026-07-15T11:47:00.288Z

Reserved: 2026-07-04T12:17:14.302Z

Link: CVE-2026-59259

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

No data.