Summary
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators should consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Restrict workflow creation and editing permissions to fully trusted users only.
- Restrict network access to the n8n REST API to trusted users only.
These workarounds do not fully remediate the risk and should only be used as short-term mitigation measures.
Impact
The ExecuteWorkflow node's localFile source option read workflow files from disk without applying checks enforced by other file-reading nodes. An authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows could supply an arbitrary file path via the REST API, bypassing the N8N_RESTRICT_FILE_ACCESS_TO restriction. This allowed the attacker to determine whether arbitrary files exist on the server host. Where the targeted path contained a valid workflow JSON file, the file could additionally be loaded and executed, potentially triggering actions on downstream systems connected to that workflow.
The localFile source option is hidden from the n8n UI since v1.2 but remains accessible via the REST API.
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.
GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ has a CVSS score of 6.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.19.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
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.
Remediation advice
The issue has been fixed in n8n version 2.20.0 or 2.19.3. Users should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the vulnerability.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ? GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n8n (npm), affecting versions < 2.19.3. It is fixed in 2.19.3. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ? GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ has a CVSS score of 6.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of n8n are affected by GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ? n8n (npm) versions < 2.19.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ? Yes. GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ is fixed in 2.19.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ 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 GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ 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 GHSA-2VX9-7WPG-88JQ? Upgrade
n8nto 2.19.3 or later.