Summary
n8n: Instance AI Credential Setup Accepts Unvalidated Probe URL from Fetched Content
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Disable the Instance AI module by removing
instance-aifrom theN8N_ENABLED_MODULESenvironment variable if it is not required. - Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.
- Rotate any third-party API credentials that were set up using the Instance AI credential-setup flow on affected versions.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Impact
Instance AI credential setup accepted a credential test/verification URL without checking it matched the workflow node's origin. Exfiltration required the user to actively inject an attacker-controlled URL into the setup flow. The patch derives the credential destination from the node's own URL and confines authenticated requests, redirects and probes to that origin.
Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside. Typical impact: access to internal metadata services, internal APIs, or cloud credentials.
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.
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The issue has been fixed in n8n versions 2.38.2 and 2.37.7. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later to remediate the vulnerability.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-86074? CVE-2026-86074 is a medium-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in n8n (npm), affecting versions >= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2. It is fixed in 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside.
- Which versions of n8n are affected by CVE-2026-86074? n8n (npm) versions >= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86074? Yes. CVE-2026-86074 is fixed in 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-86074 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-86074 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-2026-86074 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-2026-86074?
- Upgrade
n8nto 2.38.2 or later - Upgrade
n8nto 2.37.7 or later
- Upgrade