Summary
n8n: Git Node branch.<name>.remote Config Key Bypasses Sandbox Path Restriction, Enabling Local Git Repository Read
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Restrict n8n instance access to fully trusted users only.
- Disable the Git node by adding
n8n-nodes-base.gitto theNODES_EXCLUDEenvironment variable. - Ensure the n8n process runs under a dedicated low-privilege OS user account to limit the scope of any filesystem access.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Impact
The Git node validated the repository that a fetch or pull targeted, but setUpstream wrote a branch.<name>.remote value into the repository's own configuration without validating it. A subsequent fetch or pull resolved the remote from that configuration rather than from the checked parameter, so an authenticated user with workflow-edit permission could point it at any local repository the n8n process could read and receive its contents. The patch validates the branch remote configuration on the same terms as the repository parameter.
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
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 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-2026-86995? CVE-2026-86995 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n8n (npm), affecting versions < 1.123.76. It is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- Which versions of n8n are affected by CVE-2026-86995? n8n (npm) versions < 1.123.76 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86995? Yes. CVE-2026-86995 is fixed in 1.123.76, 2.38.2, 2.37.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-86995 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-86995 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-2026-86995 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-2026-86995?
- Upgrade
n8nto 1.123.76 or later - Upgrade
n8nto 2.38.2 or later - Upgrade
n8nto 2.37.7 or later
- Upgrade