⚠ Reference material — not professional advice. Test in staging, back up first, verify against your specific version. Use your own judgment for your environment.
● Critical · CVSS 9.4

How to Fix CVE-2026-25056: Unrestricted File Upload in n8n

Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:

*By Sai Kiran Pandrala*

⚡ At a glance
SeverityCVSS 9.4 - Critical
Actively exploited?Not currently listed in CISA KEV
Affected< 1.118.0, < 2.4.0
Fixed inversions
Type (CWE)CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

What is CVE-2026-25056?

CVE-2026-25056 is an unrestricted file upload flaw in n8n. An attacker can upload files of arbitrary type or to arbitrary locations, leading to webshell deployment and remote code execution. Vendor description: n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.118.0 and 2.4.0, a vulnerability in the Merge node's SQL Query mode allowed authenticated users with permission to create or modify workflows to write arbitrary files to the n8n server's filesystem potentially leading to remote code execution.

Why this CVE matters

Unrestricted file upload is the classic webshell vector. The attacker uploads a script with an executable extension, then requests it through the same web server to execute commands.

For deployments of n8n that have been exposed to the public internet during the disclosure window, the operating assumption should be that scanning has already happened. Even where exploitation has not been publicly observed, scanning for the vulnerable fingerprint is cheap and routine. Patching closes the door; log review and credential rotation close out the rest of the response.

Am I affected?

You are affected if your installation matches any of these version ranges:

Check your installed version against the list above. If you cannot determine the version, treat the system as affected and follow the upgrade path below.

Open n8n's About dialog or run the vendor-documented version-check command. Compare the result against the affected ranges in the advisory.

How to fix CVE-2026-25056

  1. Read the vendor advisory in full: https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-hv53-3329-vmrm
  2. Upgrade n8n to the patched build listed in the vendor advisory.
  3. Back up the configuration (and database, where applicable) before upgrading.
  4. Apply the patch in a maintenance window. For HA pairs, upgrade the standby node first, fail over, then upgrade the former primary.
  5. Restart the affected service so the patched binary loads, then verify the new version (see verification section).

Patched-version commands

Vendor advisory: https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-hv53-3329-vmrm

Affected: n8n: < 1.118.0

Patched in: <patched-version-from-advisory>


# Vendor advisory: https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-hv53-3329-vmrm

# npm / Yarn / pnpm.
npm install n8n@<patched-version-from-advisory>
npm ls n8n

# Python / pip.
python -m pip install --upgrade "n8n>=<patched-version-from-advisory>"
python -m pip show n8n

# Container image.
docker pull <your-registry>/n8n:<patched-version-from-advisory>
docker stop n8n && docker rm n8n
docker run -d --name n8n <your-registry>/n8n:<patched-version-from-advisory>


# Vendor advisory: https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-hv53-3329-vmrm
# Same flow from a Windows admin workstation.
npm install n8n@<patched-version-from-advisory>
docker pull <your-registry>/n8n:<patched-version-from-advisory>

Verify the fix landed


# Vendor advisory: https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/security/advisories/GHSA-hv53-3329-vmrm
# Post-patch verification (replace <service> with the real service unit).
journalctl -u <service> --since "10 minutes ago"
dmesg --since "10 minutes ago"

# Re-scan with your vulnerability scanner (Nessus, Qualys, Tenable, OpenVAS).
# It should no longer flag CVE-2026-25056 on the patched target.

If you cannot patch immediately

No official workaround exists beyond restricting network exposure to the affected component. Apply the vendor patch as the primary remediation.

How to verify the fix worked

If your installation was internet-reachable during the disclosure window, treat log review as part of the remediation rather than an optional follow-up. Look for unexpected administrator accounts in n8n, scheduled tasks or cron jobs you did not create, new files in web-accessible directories, and outbound connections to addresses not in your baseline. Suspicious requests to the vulnerable endpoint immediately followed by successful 200-class responses with unusually large bodies are a strong indicator of exploitation.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2026-25056 being exploited in the wild?

Public exploitation has not been confirmed by CISA at the time of writing. Treat the patch as time-sensitive anyway; reports often lag actual abuse.

Will a WAF or IDS rule fully mitigate CVE-2026-25056?

No. Network-layer filters can reduce noise and slow opportunistic scanners, but they will not stop a determined attacker. The vendor patch is the only durable fix.

How long should I plan for the upgrade?

Typical vendor-documented upgrade windows for n8n run from a few minutes to under an hour depending on cluster size. Test in a staging environment first and follow the vendor's documented HA upgrade order.

References

*This guide was assembled from the official vendor advisory, the NVD record, and the CISA KEV catalog entry on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor advisory before applying changes in production.*