What is CVE-2026-86083?

CVE-2026-86083 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n8n (npm), affecting versions < 1.123.76. It is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.

Which versions of n8n are affected by CVE-2026-86083?

n8n (npm) versions < 1.123.76 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86083?

Yes. CVE-2026-86083 is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2026-86083 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-86083 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2026-86083 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-2026-86083?

Upgrade: n8n to 1.123.76 or later, n8n to 2.38.2 or later, n8n to 2.37.7 or later.

CVE-2026-86083 in n8n

Q: Which versions of n8n are affected by CVE-2026-86083?

n8n (npm) versions < 1.123.76 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86083?

Yes. CVE-2026-86083 is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2026-86083 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-86083 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2026-86083 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-86083?

Upgrade: n8n to 1.123.76 or later, n8n to 2.38.2 or later, n8n to 2.37.7 or later.

Summary

n8n: Expression Sandbox Escape via Shared Builtin Tampering and Code-Printer Injection Leads to Code Execution

Workarounds

If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:

Set the environment variable N8N_EXPRESSION_ENGINE=vm to 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.

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.

Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.

Affected versions

n8n (< 1.123.76) n8n (>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2) n8n (>= 2.0.0, < 2.37.7)

Security releases

n8n → 1.123.76 (npm) n8n → 2.38.2 (npm) n8n → 2.37.7 (npm)

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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Remediation advice

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-86083? CVE-2026-86083 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n8n (npm), affecting versions < 1.123.76. It is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
Which versions of n8n are affected by CVE-2026-86083? n8n (npm) versions < 1.123.76 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86083? Yes. CVE-2026-86083 is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2026-86083 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-86083 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-2026-86083 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-2026-86083?
- Upgrade n8n to 1.123.76 or later
- Upgrade n8n to 2.38.2 or later
- Upgrade n8n to 2.37.7 or later