CVE-2026-70471: Flowise: RBAC Bypass Leading to Unauthorized Workspace Variables Disclosure
Finding — Unauthorized Workspace Variables disclosure via $vars injection (bypasses variables:view)
### What’s wrong (code locations)
- Variables for the active workspace are fetched without checking “variables:view” at this call site: flowise-src/ packages/components/src/utils.ts:932 - Runtime variables are resolved from server environment variables: flowise-src/packages/components/src/utils.ts:976 - $vars is always injected into the code execution sandbox: flowise-src/packages/components/src/utils.ts:1782 - The official Variables API is permission-protected (contrast): flowise-src/packages/server/src/routes/variables/ index.ts:11
### Why it is a privilege boundary bypass
A user/API key might be denied variables:view (and the /api/v1/variables route enforces it), but they can still:
- call /api/v1/node-custom-function (Finding 1) - and have $vars pre-populated with all variables for the workspace, including runtime values from process.env
### What data is exposed
Inside the custom JS context, $vars contains a flat map of:
- Variable.name -> Variable.value for static variables, and - Variable.name -> process.env[Variable.name] for runtime variables (type === 'runtime')
This can expose secrets such as database passwords, JWT secrets, SMTP passwords, cloud keys, etc., depending on what the workspace Variables are configured to map.
### Recommended fix (minimum)
- Do not inject $vars unless the caller is authorized: - enforce variables:view before injecting $vars, or - inject only an explicit allowlist of variables needed for the function - Consider disabling or heavily restricting type=runtime variables in self-hosted environments (or restrict which env keys may be mapped).
Other sources
Flowise is a drag-and-drop user interface for building customized large language model (LLM) flows. Prior to 3.1.3, Flowise injects $vars into the code execution sandbox without requiring variables:view, bypassing the permission-protected Variables API. Variables for the active workspace are fetched at packages/components/src/utils.ts and runtime variables are resolved from server environment variables, while the official variables route enforces variables:view. A user or API key that is denied variables:view can call /api/v1/node-custom-function and receive $vars pre-populated with all variables for the workspace, including Variable.name to Variable.value static variables and Variable.name to process.env[Variable.name] runtime variables. This can expose secrets such as database passwords, JWT secrets, SMTP passwords, and cloud keys, depending on the workspace Variables configuration. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.3.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/flowiseto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 3.1.3 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Flowiseto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 3.1.3 - Configuration
Enforce the variables:view permission before injecting $vars into the code execution sandbox for /api/v1/node-custom-function (prevent pre-populating $vars with all workspace variables, including runtime values from process.env).
Flowise custom JS node execution (/api/v1/node-custom-function) variables:view enforcement for $vars injection = enforced - Configuration
Instead of injecting $vars for the entire active workspace, inject only an explicit allowlist of variables needed for the custom function (avoid injecting runtime values resolved from process.env for unauthorized callers).
Flowise custom JS node execution (/api/v1/node-custom-function) $vars injection scope = explicit allowlist only
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-70471?
The severity of CVE-2026-70471 is rated at 73.
How do I fix CVE-2026-70471?
To fix CVE-2026-70471, ensure proper authorization checks are implemented for retrieving workspace variables.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-70471?
CVE-2026-70471 is an RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) bypass vulnerability.
What can be exploited with CVE-2026-70471?
CVE-2026-70471 can be exploited to disclose unauthorized workspace variables.
In which software is CVE-2026-70471 found?
CVE-2026-70471 is found in the npm package Flowise.