GHSA-q8qp-67f9-wr3f
MEDIUMSurrealDB vulnerable to Denial of Service due to nested types annotations
Blast Radius
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Description
The SurrealDB type/kind parser did not enforce the configured recursion depth limit when parsing nested type annotations. The expression parser already enforced the limit for analogous constructs; the kind parser omitted it. An authenticated attacker could send a query with deeply nested type annotations (e.g., array<option<array<option<...>>>>) and exhaust server memory, crashing the process.
This is an incomplete fix for GHSA-6r8p-hpg7-825g, which addressed the same class of bug in the expression parser but did not cover the kind/type annotation parser code path.
Impact
An authenticated user with query execution privileges can crash a SurrealDB server with a single WebSocket message containing deeply nested type annotations.
Patches
A patch has been introduced that wraps parse_concrete_kind and the OPTION<...> arm of parse_inner_kind with enter_object_recursion!, bounding the recursive cycle parse_concrete_kind → parse_inner_kind → parse_inner_single_kind → parse_concrete_kind at the configured object_recursion_limit (default 100). Regression tests cover both cast and DEFINE FIELD paths.
- Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected by this issue.
Workarounds
Restrict the ability of untrusted users to execute arbitrary queries via the --deny-arbitrary-query capability flag for the affected user classes (guest, record, or system). Disabling untrusted access to the WebSocket /rpc endpoint also prevents exploitation; the HTTP /sql endpoint's 1 MiB body limit constrains nesting to a depth where OOM is not feasible.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | surrealdb | all versions | 3.1.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for surrealdb. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update surrealdb to 3.1.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q8qp-67f9-wr3f is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-q8qp-67f9-wr3f is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-q8qp-67f9-wr3f. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-q8qp-67f9-wr3f in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-q8qp-67f9-wr3f across crates.io dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.