Exposed n8n API Keys Put Live Systems at Risk of Credential Theft

GitGuardian researchers have uncovered a significant security issue affecting n8n, a popular workflow automation platform. Their investigation found 321 live n8n instances that were accepting API tokens leaked in public GitHub commits, creating a direct path for attackers to access sensitive data and downstream credentials without exploiting any software vulnerability.

The research team scanned public GitHub commits and identified 4,576 unique API tokens linked to 1,255 hostnames. Of the 896 instances that were reachable during testing, 321 accepted at least one leaked token, meaning authenticated access was possible for roughly 36% of reachable instances and about 26% of all hostnames found. The implications reach far beyond n8n itself, as the platform is commonly used to connect databases, code repositories, cloud environments, AI services, and customer support tools.

A sufficiently privileged n8n token can expose workflow definitions, execution data, and stored credentials. In some configurations, attackers could even extract the underlying credential values. The researchers demonstrated four practical attack techniques in a controlled environment, each using only documented REST API functionality and standard HTTP requests - no CVE exploitation or specialized tools were required.

The risks are amplified by the fact that many exposed tokens had no expiration date. n8n introduced a 30-day default expiration in version 1.78.0 in February 2025, but many tokens found in commits were generated without one, remaining usable until explicitly revoked. Additionally, 58% of scanned instances were running versions affected by at least one known security advisory as of March 31, 2026, with some recent CVEs allowing sandbox escapes and arbitrary file system access.

The attack techniques demonstrated include enumerating users and workflows, using stored OpenAI credentials without viewing them, reading data tables, and even exfiltrating raw credential values by directing n8n to send them to an attacker-controlled listener. One real-world example found a workflow that backed up its own definitions to a public GitHub repository, with a valid SSH deployment key hard-coded in a node.

Responsible disclosure efforts yielded limited results. Of seven organizations contacted, only one - which operated a bug bounty program - responded, paid a $1,200 bounty, and revoked the credential. GitGuardian also disclosed findings to n8n, which acknowledged the reports but closed them without confirmed fixes at the time of publication. Approximately 30% of affected instances were hosted on n8n.cloud or similar managed services.

Organizations using n8n are urged to revoke any leaked tokens, review workflows for unauthorized changes, and rotate connected credentials where exposure cannot be ruled out. The research highlights that automation platforms create an unusually large blast radius because they sit at the center of an organization's integrations, making a single leaked token a potential gateway to source control, databases, cloud services, AI APIs, and customer data.

Source: The Hackers News