---
id: CVE-2026-49997
title: >-
  SurrealDB: Edge PERMISSIONS FOR delete bypassed when a connected node is
  deleted
summary: >-
  SurrealDB: Edge PERMISSIONS FOR delete bypassed when a connected node is
  deleted
severity: medium
cvss: 5.4
cwe:
  - CWE-285
  - CWE-863
vendor: surrealdb
product: surrealdb
ecosystem: rust
affected:
  - surrealdb < 3.1.0
patched:
  - surrealdb 3.1.0
published: '2026-07-01'
updated: '2026-07-01'
source: GHSA
sourceUrl: 'https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-whwg-vh4f-pmmf'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/security/advisories/GHSA-whwg-vh4f-pmmf
  - url: 'https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/pull/242'
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/commit/a80d1784cf75358441978bbd77688855e95f4578
  - url: 'https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-whwg-vh4f-pmmf'
tags:
  - ghsa
  - rust
ingestedAt: '2026-07-01T21:17:11.618Z'
epss: 0.00347
epssPercentile: 0.28404
---

## Overview

In SurrealDB, records can be connected as a graph: a `RELATE` statement creates an edge record between two node records. If either endpoint node is deleted, SurrealDB automatically removes the edge row to keep the graph consistent.

A user with permission to delete a node could also delete the edges connected to that node, even when the edge table's `PERMISSIONS FOR delete` clause should have stopped them.

The automatic edge removal (`Document::purge_edges`) ran with permissions disabled (`opt.clone().with_perms(false)`), so the edge table's `PERMISSIONS FOR delete` and `PERMISSIONS FOR select` clauses were never consulted. The removal step could also observe edge state that the edge's SELECT clause should have hidden.

### Impact

What an attacker **can** do:

- Delete any edge connected to a node they can delete, regardless of the edge table's `PERMISSIONS FOR delete` clause.
- Observe edge contents that `PERMISSIONS FOR select` should have hidden, as a side effect of the same edge-removal step.

What it **can't** do:

- Delete nodes on tables they do not hold `DELETE` on (the edge removal only runs from an authorised node delete).
- Cross namespace or database isolation boundaries.
- Escalate to root or operator-level privileges.

### Patches

`Document::purge_edges` now propagates the caller's permission context into the edge removal. Each connected edge `DELETE` is evaluated against the edge table's `PERMISSIONS FOR delete` clause, matching a direct `DELETE`.

Versions 3.1.0 and later are not affected.

### Workarounds

- Restrict node `DELETE` permission to principals trusted to delete all connected edge records.
- Use namespace or database isolation as the primary boundary where edge-level `PERMISSIONS` is load-bearing for multi-tenant separation.

## Affected packages

- `surrealdb < 3.1.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `surrealdb 3.1.0`