Summary
Flowise: RBAC Bypass Leading to Unauthorized Workspace Variables Disclosure
Finding, Unauthorized Workspace Variables disclosure via $vars injection (bypasses variables:view)
What’s wrong (code locations)
- Variables for the active workspace are fetched without checking “variables:view” at this call site: flowise-src/
packages/components/src/utils.ts:932 - Runtime variables are resolved from server environment variables: flowise-src/packages/components/src/utils.ts:976
- $vars is always injected into the code execution sandbox: flowise-src/packages/components/src/utils.ts:1782
- The official Variables API is permission-protected (contrast): flowise-src/packages/server/src/routes/variables/
index.ts:11
Why it is a privilege boundary bypass
A user/API key might be denied variables:view (and the /api/v1/variables route enforces it), but they can still:
- call /api/v1/node-custom-function (Finding 1)
- and have $vars pre-populated with all variables for the workspace, including runtime values from process.env
What data is exposed
Inside the custom JS context, $vars contains a flat map of:
- Variable.name -> Variable.value for static variables, and
- Variable.name -> process.env[Variable.name] for runtime variables (type === 'runtime')
This can expose secrets such as database passwords, JWT secrets, SMTP passwords, cloud keys, etc., depending on what
the workspace Variables are configured to map.
Recommended fix (minimum)
- Do not inject $vars unless the caller is authorized:
- enforce variables:view before injecting $vars, or
- inject only an explicit allowlist of variables needed for the function
- Consider disabling or heavily restricting type=runtime variables in self-hosted environments (or restrict which env
keys may be mapped).
Impact
The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-70471? CVE-2026-70471 is a high-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in flowise (npm), affecting versions <= 3.1.2. It is fixed in 3.1.3. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
- Which versions of flowise are affected by CVE-2026-70471? flowise (npm) versions <= 3.1.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-70471? Yes. CVE-2026-70471 is fixed in 3.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-70471 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-70471 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-70471 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-70471? Upgrade
flowiseto 3.1.3 or later.