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SurrealDB: Array element-level (field.*) SELECT permissions leak denied elements to record users — surrealdb

Incorrect Authorization

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

  • Published: Aug 14, 2026
  • Updated: Sep 5, 2026
  • GHSA: GHSA-8rw6-p7m8-63jp
  • Severity: Medium
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: Medium
  • Score: 6.5
  • AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CWEs:

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

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Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

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