CVE-2026-63749

SurrealDB versions before 3.1.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in LIVE SELECT subscriptions where permission expressions referencing $value, $before, $after, or $event are evaluated against attacker-controlled bindings instead of actual documents. Authenticated subscribers can bind chosen values to these parameter names and register LIVE SELECT queries to receive notifications for records that SELECT permission expressions should have hidden.

SurrealDB versions before 3.1.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in LIVE SELECT subscriptions where permission expressions referencing $value, $before, $after, or $event are evaluated against attacker-controlled bindings instead of actual documents. Authenticated subscribers can bind chosen values to these parameter names and register LIVE SELECT queries to receive notifications for records that SELECT permission expressions should have hidden.

A record user could read records the table's SELECT permission expression should have hidden, when that expression referenced $value, $before, $after, or $event. Binding a chosen value to that name before registering a LIVE SELECT caused notifications to evaluate the permission against the attacker's input instead of the real document.

Impact

A record user binds a value to $value, $before, $after, or $event (e.g. LET $value = [$auth.id]) and registers LIVE SELECT * FROM person. The captured value shadows the real document at notification time, so a SELECT permission like WHERE $auth.id.id() IN $value passes for every record on the table — the subscriber receives notifications for records they should not see.

Read-only impact, bounded to one table. Permission expressions that reference only field names, $auth, or $session are unaffected.

Patches

A patch has been introduced that re-orders the LIVE notification parameter binding so captured user variables are added first and the trusted document-context and session parameters are added last.

• Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected by this issue.

Workarounds

Affected users who are unable to update should avoid table-PERMISSIONS and LIVE WHERE expressions that read user-named variables ($value, $before, $after, $event) without also gating on a system-derived field such as the record id.

SurrealDB versions before 3.1.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in LIVE SELECT subscriptions where permission expressions referencing $value, $before, $after, or $event are evaluated against attacker-controlled bindings instead of actual documents. Authenticated subscribers can bind chosen values to these parameter names and register LIVE SELECT queries to receive notifications for records that SELECT permission expressions should have hidden.

SurrealDB versions before 3.1.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in LIVE SELECT subscriptions where permission expressions referencing $value, $before, $after, or $event are evaluated against attacker-controlled bindings instead of actual documents. Authenticated subscribers can bind chosen values to these parameter names and register LIVE SELECT queries to receive notifications for records that SELECT permission expressions should have hidden.

SurrealDB versions before 3.1.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in LIVE SELECT subscriptions where permission expressions referencing $value, $before, $after, or $event are evaluated against attacker-controlled bindings instead of actual documents. Authenticated subscribers can bind chosen values to these parameter names and register LIVE SELECT queries to receive notifications for records that SELECT permission expressions should have hidden.

A record user could read records the table's SELECT permission expression should have hidden, when that expression referenced $value, $before, $after, or $event. Binding a chosen value to that name before registering a LIVE SELECT caused notifications to evaluate the permission against the attacker's input instead of the real document.

Impact

A record user binds a value to $value, $before, $after, or $event (e.g. LET $value = [$auth.id]) and registers LIVE SELECT * FROM person. The captured value shadows the real document at notification time, so a SELECT permission like WHERE $auth.id.id() IN $value passes for every record on the table — the subscriber receives notifications for records they should not see.

Read-only impact, bounded to one table. Permission expressions that reference only field names, $auth, or $session are unaffected.

Patches

A patch has been introduced that re-orders the LIVE notification parameter binding so captured user variables are added first and the trusted document-context and session parameters are added last.

• Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected by this issue.

Workarounds

Affected users who are unable to update should avoid table-PERMISSIONS and LIVE WHERE expressions that read user-named variables ($value, $before, $after, $event) without also gating on a system-derived field such as the record id.