Executive brief
SurrealDB is a multi-model database platform used for storing and querying application data. Versions before 1.0.1 incorrectly set default table permissions to FULL (allowing read, create, update, and delete operations) instead of NONE. On publicly exposed instances or in multi-tenant environments, attackers with any database access—including unauthenticated guest users—can read, modify, or delete data in any table lacking explicit permission restrictions.
Technical details
SurrealDB before version 1.0.1 defaults newly created tables to FULL permissions instead of NONE (CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions). This affects any table defined without an explicit PERMISSIONS clause. An attacker with network access to the database—including unauthenticated guest users on publicly exposed instances—can issue SELECT, CREATE, UPDATE, and DELETE queries against unprotected tables within their authorization scope (namespace or database). The vulnerability requires the attacker to have some database access (privileges required: low), but no user interaction. Version 1.0.1 and later patch this issue by setting new tables to NONE permissions by default; explicit PERMISSIONS clauses are unaffected. Unpatched instances can apply workarounds by manually specifying table permissions via the PERMISSIONS clause.
Affected products
- SurrealDB SurrealDB <1.0.1
Timeline
- 2023-12-14: disclosed
- 2023-12-14: patched: Version 1.0.1 released with patch