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Mallory
Critical

RCE in n8n Merge node SQL query mode

IdentifiersCVE-2026-27497CWE-94· Improper Control of Generation of…

CVE-2026-27497 is a critical vulnerability in n8n, the open source workflow automation platform. In n8n versions prior to 2.10.1, 2.9.3, and 1.123.22, an authenticated user who has permission to create or modify workflows can abuse the Merge node when it is used in SQL query mode to execute arbitrary code on the n8n server and write arbitrary files to the server filesystem. The issue is specifically tied to the Merge node's SQL query mode and affects both self-hosted and cloud deployments according to the provided context.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows a workflow editor-level attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution on the n8n host and perform arbitrary file writes on the server. This can result in full compromise of the n8n instance, theft of sensitive data accessible to the service, tampering with workflows or application files, persistence through dropped files, and potential access to secrets and credentials handled by the platform.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, restrict workflow creation and editing permissions to fully trusted users only, and disable the Merge node by adding n8n-nodes-base.merge to the NODES_EXCLUDE environment variable. These are temporary risk-reduction measures only and do not fully remediate the vulnerability.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade n8n to a fixed version: 2.10.1, 2.9.3, or 1.123.22, or any later release. These versions contain the vendor's fix for CVE-2026-27497 and related vulnerabilities.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
N8nN8napplication

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What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity4

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.