n8n: Expression Sandbox Escape via Shared Builtin Tampering and Code-Printer Injection Leads to Code Execution
Impact
Two stages of expression code generation built source text by calling the global JSON.stringify at generation time: the compiler when printing synthetic string literals, and the isolate bridge when interpolating a timezone value into its per-evaluation wrapper. An expression that replaced that global therefore changed the code that was subsequently generated and executed, turning literal data into executable source. The patch renders both code-generation stages through a reference captured at module load, so a later change to global state cannot alter the generated source.
This vulnerability only affects instances running the legacy expression engine. The vm expression engine, which is the default on the patched releases, is not affected.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability.
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Set the environment variable
N8N_EXPRESSION_ENGINE=vmto switch to the vm expression engine, which is not affected by this vulnerability. - Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.
- Ensure the n8n process runs under a dedicated low-privilege OS user account to limit the impact of any command execution.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm package | n8n | < 1.123.76, >= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2, >= 2.0.0, < 2.37.7 | 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7 |
References
- https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-6xcw-7xm6-48c6
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86083
- https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n
- https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@1.123.76
- https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@2.37.7
- https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/releases/tag/n8n@2.38.2
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-94- Platform
- npm
- Package
n8n- Disclosed
- 10.09.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-6xcw-7xm6-48c6 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: n8n
All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 156
- First → latest
- 05.2023 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 1
- Exploited in attacks
- 1
Severity breakdown
- Critical 24
- High 58
- Medium 74
Disclosures per year
- 2023: 3
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 14
- 2026: 139
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n8n: Expression Sandbox Escape via Shared Builtin Tampering and Code-Printer Injection Leads to Code Execution this entry
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