Summary
A single unauthenticated WebSocket message to /rpc crashed the SurrealDB server. Sending use { db: "x" } without first selecting a namespace hit .expect("namespace should be set") in the use handler; because surrealdb-core is built with panic = 'abort', the panic terminated the process. use is callable before signin, and the per-method capability check passes by default for guest callers, so no credentials, token, or --allow-guests flag are required.
Workarounds
Affected users who are unable to update should restrict network access to the /rpc endpoint to trusted clients, and run SurrealDB under a process supervisor that restarts on crash.
Impact
An unauthenticated remote attacker who could reach the /rpc endpoint could crash the SurrealDB server with a single WebSocket message. No credentials, token, session knowledge, or capability are required.
GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G 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 has been introduced that returns a typed invalid_params response when db is set on a session with no ns, replacing the panic.
- Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected by this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G? GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G 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-WJJJ-24CX-F28G? GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G 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-WJJJ-24CX-F28G? surrealdb (rust) versions < 3.1.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G? Yes. GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G is fixed in 3.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-WJJJ-24CX-F28G 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-WJJJ-24CX-F28G 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-WJJJ-24CX-F28G? Upgrade
surrealdbto 3.1.0 or later.