Summary
The SurrealDB value and JSON parser did not enforce the configured recursion depth limit when parsing nested {, [, or ( tokens. The expression parser already enforced the limit for these tokens; the value/JSON parser omitted it. An unauthenticated attacker could send a deeply nested JSON payload to the WebSocket /rpc endpoint and exhaust server memory, crashing the process.
This is an incomplete fix for GHSA-6r8p-hpg7-825g, which addressed the same class of bug in the expression parser but did not cover the value/JSON parser code path.
Workarounds
Restrict network access to the WebSocket /rpc endpoint to trusted clients.
Impact
An unauthenticated remote attacker can crash a SurrealDB server with a single WebSocket message. No credentials or query execution privileges are required.
GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no 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.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
A patch enforces the configured recursion depth limit in parse_value and parse_json, bringing them in line with the rest of the parser.
- Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected by this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ? GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ is a high-severity security vulnerability in surrealdb (rust), affecting versions < 3.1.0. It is fixed in 3.1.0.
- How severe is GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ? GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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.
- Which versions of surrealdb are affected by GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ? surrealdb (rust) versions < 3.1.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ? Yes. GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ is fixed in 3.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ 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
- What actually determines whether GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ 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.
- How do I fix GHSA-Q729-696Q-G9PQ? Upgrade
surrealdbto 3.1.0 or later.