GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999

A record user could read records the table's SELECT permission expression should have hidden, when that expression referenced $value, $before, $after, or $event. Binding a chosen value to that name before registering a LIVE SELECT caused notifications to evaluate the permission against the attacker's input instead of the real document.

Workarounds

Affected users who are unable to update should avoid table-PERMISSIONS and LIVE WHERE expressions that read user-named variables ($value, $before, $after, $event) without also gating on a system-derived field such as the record id.

A record user binds a value to $value, $before, $after, or $event (e.g. LET $value = [$auth.id]) and registers LIVE SELECT * FROM person. The captured value shadows the real document at notification time, so a SELECT permission like WHERE $auth.id.id() IN $value passes for every record on the table, the subscriber receives notifications for records they should not see.

Read-only impact, bounded to one table. Permission expressions that reference only field names, $auth, or $session are unaffected.

The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.

GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.1.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

A patch has been introduced that re-orders the LIVE notification parameter binding so captured user variables are added first and the trusted document-context and session parameters are added last.

• Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected by this issue.

1. What is GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999? GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in surrealdb (rust), affecting versions < 3.1.0. It is fixed in 3.1.0. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
2. How severe is GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999? GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of surrealdb are affected by GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999? surrealdb (rust) versions < 3.1.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999? Yes. GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 is fixed in 3.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix GHSA-6WQW-VHFR-9999? Upgrade surrealdb to 3.1.0 or later.