GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC

An authenticated record or scope user could read records on any table reachable through a graph edge or REFERENCES TO back-reference, regardless of that table's PERMISSIONS FOR select clause.

Traversing SELECT * FROM source->edge->target returned full documents from target even when target was defined as PERMISSIONS FOR select NONE. The same bypass extended through multi-hop chains, so any table reachable by a sequence of edges from a readable starting point was exposed.

The root cause: GraphEdgeScan and ReferenceScan fetched records straight from storage without routing them through Document::pluck_select, so the target table's permission expression was never consulted.

Workarounds

• Remove select permission on edge tables whose targets should be hidden.
• Use namespace or database isolation as the primary boundary where feasible.

An authenticated record or scope user can read records on any table reachable through a chain of graph edges or back-references from a table they have select on, regardless of the target's PERMISSIONS FOR select clause. Confidentiality-only and bounded to the caller's current database, namespace and database isolation 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-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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 new per-batch permission cache (exec::permission::CachedTableSelect) resolves each target table's SELECT permission once and filters yielded values through check_permission_for_value, matching the regular SELECT code path.

• Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected.

1. What is GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC? GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC 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-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC? GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC? surrealdb (rust) versions < 3.1.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC? Yes. GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC is fixed in 3.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC 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-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC 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-VJJX-RFW4-RMFC? Upgrade surrealdb to 3.1.0 or later.