A new critical vulnerability in the n8n workflow automation platform, tracked as CVE-2026-25049 and rated CVSS 9.4, could allow an authenticated user to execute arbitrary system commands by crafting expressions in workflow parameters. The flaw arises from inadequate sanitization and bypasses safeguards addressed by CVE-2025-68613, with n8n noting that additional runtime exploits in expression evaluation have been patched; it affects versions below 1.123.17 (fixed in 1.123.17) and below 2.5.2 (fixed in 2.5.2).
Successful exploitation could lead to server compromise, credential theft, data exfiltration, and the installation of persistent backdoors, particularly when used with n8n’s webhook feature to make a workflow publicly accessible.
Affected researchers—Fatih Çelik, Endor Labs’ Cris Staicu, Pillar Security’s Eilon Cohen, and SecureLayer7’s Sandeep Kamble—are acknowledged for uncovering the bug, and industry commentary highlights that an attacker could trigger the vulnerability by publishing a workflow with a public webhook. The advisory also includes recommended mitigations, such as restricting workflow permissions and running n8n in a hardened environment. according to The Hacker News