CVE-2026-86081Network attack vector

Authenticated instance freeze via Git path regex

Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 9, 2026

ReDoS in affected n8n releases allows remote authenticated users to freeze an instance through a crafted Git node clone path. The clone operation synchronously matches the attacker-controlled destination against a default blocked-file regex whose nested wildcards cause catastrophic backtracking. Workflow-editor access is required, and one execution can consume the main process and interrupt service for every user without unusual configuration.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.32%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

ReDoS in affected n8n releases allows remote authenticated users to freeze an instance through a crafted Git node clone path. The clone operation synchronously matches the attacker-controlled destination against a default blocked-file regex whose nested wildcards cause catastrophic backtracking. Workflow-editor access is required, and one execution can consume the main process and interrupt service for every user without unusual configuration.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-86081
Published
Sep 8, 2026
Updated
Sep 9, 2026
Vendor
n8n
Product
n8n
Classifications
CWE-1333, T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 9, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 1.123.76
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 2.0.0, < 2.37.7
  3. Affected versionversion=>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

n8n · n8nversion=< 1.123.76; version=>= 2.0.0, < 2.37.7; version=>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2

Published CVSS scores

7.1GitHub CNACVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-1333Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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