GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp: Medium severity rust/surrealdb vulnerability
A SELECT permission defined on an array element (DEFINE FIELD field. … PERMISSIONS FOR select …) is not enforced correctly for RECORD users. Instead of hiding the denied elements, the query leaks a subset of them: a deny-all returns the odd-indexed elements, and a per-element predicate keeps and drops the wrong ones.
The filter removed each denied element by index while walking the array forwards. Because removing an element shifts every later index down, each cut invalidated the indices still pending in the loop, leaving denied elements behind. Field-level permissions are enforced correctly; only the element (field.) level is affected, and only for record users — root and record-owner sessions are not.
Impact
What an attacker can do:
- As a record (scope) user, read array elements that an element-level (field.) SELECT permission should hide, on any table they can already SELECT. - Recover denied elements through both a deny-all and a WHERE predicate — the wrong elements are selected either way.
What it can't do:
- Bypass field-level SELECT permissions, which are evaluated correctly. - Affect root or record-owner sessions, or cross namespace/database isolation. - Modify data, escalate privileges, or affect availability (confidentiality only).
Patches
The three permission-filtering paths (doc/reduce.rs, doc/output.rs, exec/operators/scan/pipeline.rs) now remove denied elements in reverse index order, so removing one element no longer shifts the elements still to be checked. Regression tests reproducing the issue were added.
The fix is included in SurrealDB 3.1.4.
Workarounds
- Do not rely on element-level (field.) permissions to hide data from record users; use field-level permissions, which are enforced correctly. - Restrict record users from selecting tables whose schema uses element-level permissions.
Resources
- DEFINE FIELD - USERS - DEFINE TABLE … PERMISSIONS - fix(sec): stop array element-level SELECT permissions leaking elements (commit 8f89b260b)
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
rust/surrealdbto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 3.1.4 - Upgrade
Upgrade
SurrealDBto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 3.1.4Patch 8f89b260b - Configuration
Do not rely on element-level (`field.*`) SELECT permissions to hide data from record users; use field-level permissions (enforced correctly) instead.
SurrealQL permissions Use of element-level (`field.*`) SELECT permissions for RECORD users = false - Configuration
Restrict record users from selecting tables whose schema uses element-level permissions (`field.*`) until the fix in SurrealDB 3.1.4 is applied.
SurrealDB access control Selecting tables with schema that uses element-level permissions = restricted
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp?
The severity of GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp is medium with a CVSS score of 6.5.
What does GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp affect?
GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp affects the permissions for array elements in the SurrealDB software.
How do I fix GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp?
To fix GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp, ensure proper enforcement of `SELECT` permissions for array elements.
What type of users are impacted by GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp?
RECORD users are impacted by GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp due to incorrect permission enforcement.
What is the impact of GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp on data privacy?
GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp can lead to unauthorized data exposure as it leaks odd-indexed elements despite permission denial.