SurrealDB: Field-level SELECT permissions bypassed via indexed COUNT fast paths

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

4.3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-63742: 0.29% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 21.96 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

A record user could learn the value of a hidden field by counting how many records match a guess. When `DEFINE FIELD ... PERMISSIONS FOR select WHERE ...` hides a field's contents from a caller, and that field is indexed, running `SELECT count() FROM t WHERE hidden_field = "guess" GROUP ALL` returned a count greater than zero whenever a record actually had that value — even though the caller was never allowed to read the field directly. The query planner used an indexed-COUNT shortcut (`Index::Count`, `IndexCountScan`, or the legacy `Iterate Index Count` / `Iterate Index Keys` paths) that counts matching index entries and skips the permission check that would normally hide the value. The same query with `WITH NOINDEX` correctly returned `[]`, confirming the gap. By repeating the count query with different guesses, an attacker can confirm or recover the contents of any restricted field they could not read through a normal `SELECT`.

Impact What an attacker can do: - Confirm or…

Published by the source

1 Jul 2026, 20:22 UTC

Last modified by the source

4 Nov 2026, 02:56 UTC

Source last checked

4 Nov 2026, 06:30 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 4 Nov 2026

   Amended from osv record GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp

2. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-63742

Advisory: SurrealDB: Field-level SELECT permissions bypassed via indexed COUNT fast paths
IDs: CVE-2026-63742, GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/ghsa-c8jx-96c9-8xrp (revision 2, source checked 4 Nov 2026, 06:30 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.3)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: surrealdb 3.1.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- crates.io surrealdb: affected < 3.1.0; fixed in 3.1.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- crates.io surrealdb: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on surrealdb.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp lists affected ranges: crates.io surrealdb >=0 <3.1.0)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp (OSV record GHSA-c8jx-96c9-8xrp lists affected ranges: crates.io surrealdb >=0 <3.1.0 (fixed))

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