n8n Path Traversal Vulnerability (CVE-2026-72770) — High Severity

Understanding the n8n Path Traversal Vulnerability

In the world of workflow automation, tools like n8n are incredibly powerful, helping connect various services and automate complex tasks. However, with great power comes the need for robust security. Recently, a significant security flaw, identified as CVE-2026-72770, was discovered in n8n. This vulnerability, classified as a path traversal issue, could allow unauthorized access to sensitive files on a server where n8n is running. It’s a serious concern, especially for organizations leveraging n8n for critical operations.

Specifically, n8n versions prior to 1.123.67, 2.31.5, and 2.32.1 contained a weakness in their Git node operations. An authenticated user with the ability to create and execute workflows could manipulate the Git node’s fetch, pull, or push-tags functions. This allowed them to bypass existing security checks designed to keep repository paths contained. In essence, an attacker could trick the system into pulling arbitrary local Git repositories from outside the intended secure zone, potentially exposing files and their entire revision history to unauthorized eyes. This could lead to a significant breach of confidentiality.

CVE Details

• Product: n8n
• CVE ID: CVE-2026-72770
• Published: August 11, 2026
• Severity: High
• Status: Analyzed

Affected Products

This path traversal vulnerability impacts specific versions of the n8n automation platform. Users running the following versions are vulnerable:

• n8n versions earlier than 1.123.67
• n8n versions earlier than 2.32.1
• n8n versions earlier than 2.31.5

Current Status

The vulnerability, CVE-2026-72770, has been thoroughly analyzed and publicly disclosed. Details regarding its nature, impact, and available solutions are readily available to help users understand and address the risk. The community and developers are aware of the issue, and patches have been released to remediate it.

Severity Level

This vulnerability is rated as High severity, with a CVSS v4.0 score of 7.1. This rating indicates a significant risk. The main reason for this high score is the potential for a complete loss of confidentiality of data. An attacker, even with low privileges and no user interaction required, can exploit this flaw over a network to read arbitrary files from local repositories. While the integrity and availability of the system are not directly impacted, the exposure of sensitive information can have severe consequences for an organization.

Possible Solutions

To protect your n8n instances from this path traversal vulnerability, it is crucial to take immediate action:

Apply Patches

The most effective solution is to upgrade your n8n installation to a patched version. The issue has been fixed in:

• n8n version 1.123.67 and later
• n8n version 2.31.5 and later
• n8n version 2.32.1 and later

Ensure you update to one of these versions or any subsequent releases that include the fix.

Temporary Workarounds (if immediate upgrade is not possible)

If you cannot upgrade immediately, consider these temporary mitigation steps. Please note that these do not fully eliminate the risk and should only be used as short-term measures:

• Restrict User Access: Limit access to your n8n instance strictly to fully trusted users only.
• Disable the Git Node: You can disable the Git node entirely by adding n8n-nodes-base.git to the NODES_EXCLUDE environment variable.

References

For more detailed technical information and advisories, please refer to the following sources:

• https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-gf29-4f56-r2jf
• https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/n8n-before-path-traversal-via-git-node-operations