CVE-2026-86081: n8n: Regular Expression Denial of Service in the Default Blocked-File-Pattern Match via a Git Node Clone Path
n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2, the Git node clone operation matched an attacker-controlled destination path against the default N8NBLOCKFILEPATTERNS regular expression. The pattern ^(./).git(/.)$ allowed catastrophic backtracking and ran synchronously in the main n8n process. An authenticated workflow editor could therefore freeze the instance with one workflow execution; the affected default is declared in packages/@n8n/config/src/configs/security.config.ts. This issue is fixed in versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7 and 2.38.2.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
n8nto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.123.76 - Upgrade
Upgrade
n8nto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.37.7 - Upgrade
Upgrade
n8nto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.38.2
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can exploit this issue?
An authenticated user with permission to edit workflows can exploit it by executing a workflow that uses the Git node clone operation with an attacker-controlled destination path.
Are default configurations affected?
Yes. The vulnerable regular expression is part of the default N8N_BLOCK_FILE_PATTERNS configuration.
What is the impact of successful exploitation?
The regular-expression match runs synchronously in the main n8n process and can freeze the n8n instance with a single workflow execution.
Which versions contain the fix?
The issue is fixed in n8n versions 1.123.76, 2.37.7, and 2.38.2.