n8n CVE-2025-68613 — Lab

Disclaimer

This repository contains a security laboratory intended strictly for educational and ethical purposes.

• This laboratory must only be used in controlled environments
• Do not deploy or test against systems you do not own or have explicit authorization to assess

The author assumes no responsibility for misuse of the information, configurations, or proof-of-concept code provided in this repository.

Overview

This laboratory deploys a vulnerable instance of n8n (v1.120.3) alongside a PostgreSQL database in order to study and reproduce the impact of CVE-2025-68613 in a controlled environment.

The lab is designed for:

• application security research
• vulnerability analysis
• PoC development and validation
• ethical penetration testing practice

Laboratory Architecture

• n8n (vulnerable version)
• PostgreSQL 16
• Docker + Docker Compose
• Initial user onboarding enabled (no preconfigured authentication)

When the environment is started for the first time, n8n will prompt the user to create a new account via the web interface.

Requirements

• Docker 20.x or newer
• Docker Compose v2
• Linux or macOS
• Port 5678 available on localhost

Verify installation:

docker --version
docker compose version

Environment Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/LingerANR/n8n-CVE-2025-68613.git
cd n8n-CVE-2025-68613

2. Build the environment

docker compose build --no-cache

3. Start the laboratory

docker compose up -d

4. Verify n8n is running

docker compose logs -f n8n

Access the web interface at:

http://localhost:5678

On first access, n8n will request creation of a new user account.

Proof of Concept (PoC)

This laboratory is intended to be used with a custom Proof of Concept developed by the author, which demonstrates the impact of CVE-2025-68613 under authenticated conditions.

Example PoC Execution

python3 CVE-2025-68613.py -u http://localhost:5678 -e '[email protected]' -p '.Tester123' --command 'cat /etc/passwd'

Example PoC Execution with Burp Proxy

python3 CVE-2025-68613.py -u http://localhost:5678 -e '[email protected]' -p '.Tester123' --command 'cat /etc/passwd' --proxy 'http://127.0.0.1:8080'

Parameters

The PoC must only be executed against this laboratory.

Resetting the Environment

To fully reset the lab (containers, volumes, and data):

docker compose down -v --remove-orphans

Then rebuild:

docker compose up -d --build

Educational Purpose

This laboratory exists to:

• demonstrate real-world vulnerability impact
• improve secure development and testing skills
• support ethical security research

All testing should be performed responsibly and legally.