GitGuardian researchers discovered 321 instances of n8n accepting API tokens that were exposed in public commits on GitHub and demonstrated four ways attackers could use them to gain access to sensitive data and credentials without exploiting a software vulnerability.
See also: Grav API plugin: CVE-2026-62386 and leaking JWT tokens via URL
They scanned public commits on GitHub for exposed n8n API tokens and found 4,576 unique credentials associated with 1,255 hostnames. Of the 896 instances that were accessible during the test, 321 accepted at least one leaked token. This means that the leaked credentials provided authenticated access to 36% of the accessible instances tested, or about 26% of all hostnames found in the commits.
The implications extend beyond n8n. Organizations use the automation platform to connect databases, source code repositories, cloud environments, AI services, customer support platforms, and other internal systems. A sufficiently privileged n8n token could expose workflow definitions and execution data, allow attackers to use stored credentials, and, in some configurations, allow them to extract the underlying credential values.
To measure the potential blast radius, the researchers replicated four practical attack techniques in a controlled n8n environment. Each required only documented REST API functionality and standard HTTP requests. No CVE exploits or specialized tools were required.
n8n is an open source, low-code workflow automation platform with AI agent support and hundreds of built-in integrations. Organizations use it to connect internal tools, automate pipelines, implement business logic, and orchestrate API integrations across their technology stack. The platform can be self-hosted or deployed via n8n.cloud, and the open source repository has attracted nearly 200,000 stars on GitHub.
An n8n instance runs workflows that are composed of nodes. Some nodes trigger workflows programmatically or via webhooks, while others transform data, execute code, or connect to external services using stored credentials such as API keys, tokens, and database passwords. These credentials are encrypted at rest using a master secret called N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY.
See also: Open VSX: Addresses Token Leaks and Malicious Extensions
However, n8n still needs to decrypt them and use them each time a workflow is run. An attacker with sufficient API privileges can therefore reference these credentials in new workflows and make the case to use them on the attacker's behalf.
With over 100,000 instances visible via Shodan and over 50 security advisories published since January 2026, n8n has garnered significant attention as a high-value integration platform. As of March 31, 2026, 58% of instances scanned were running a version affected by at least one known security advisory. Several recent CVEs have allowed attackers to escape execution sandboxes and gain arbitrary read or write access to the host file system.
CVE -2025-68613, an expression injection vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.9, was added to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's list of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities on March 11, 2026, confirming the exploit in the wild. Leaked API tokens pose a distinct risk, as an attacker does not necessarily need to exploit an n8n vulnerability if a valid credential already provides authenticated access to the instance.
GitGuardian's Public Watch scans public sources for exposed credentials. For this research, they collected every n8n API token found in public commits on GitHub since April 2025. The pipeline extracted the n8n hostname committed with each token, sent a read-only verification request to the associated instance, and recorded the response.
See also: Google is shutting down Tenor's API: What's changing for GIFs?
The 321 confirmed cases represent approximately 36% of the 896 accessible cases and 26% of all 1,255 hostnames identified in the commits.
🔑 Secure your passwords with Proton Pass
Password manager from Proton — end-to-end encryption, passkeys, built-in 2FA, and monitoring for leaks of your credentials.
- ✔ Encrypted storage of passwords & passkeys
- ✔ Notification if any of your passwords are leaked (Dark Web Monitoring)
- ✔ Free version — on all devices
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
