SurrealDB has Silent Failure to Overwrite Table Definition of Relation Type

The `OVERWRITE` clause of the `DEFINE TABLE` statement would fail to overwrite data for tables that were defined with `TYPE RELATION`. Since table definitions include the `PERMISSIONS` clause, this failure would result in permissions not being overwritten as a result, which may potentially lead users to believe they have changed the table permissions when they have not. ### Impact If a user attempted to update table permissions of a table defined with `TYPE RELATION` using `DEFINE TABLE ... OVERWRITE`, permissions for the table would not be changed. This may allow a client that is authorized to run queries in a SurrealDB server to access certain data in that specific table that they were not intended to be able to access after the specified change in permissions. ### Patches The `DEFINE TABLE` statement has been updated to appropriately overwrite data for tables defined with `TYPE RELATION`. - Version 2.1.4 and later are not affected by this issue. ### Workarounds Users of tables with `TYPE RELATION` that may have been modified using the `OVERWRITE` clause in order to update permissions are advised to verify that the intended permissions are in place using the `INFO FOR DB` statement. Affected users who are unable to update and require updating permissions in a table with `TYPE RELATION` will be required to remove the table and define it from scratch with the intended permissions. Data can be preserved by backing it up to a temporary table. ### References - [#5260](https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/pull/5260)

Source published

16 Dec 2024 17:38:53 UTC

Source modified

4 Sep 2026 19:00:05 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:19:54 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

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CVSS_V4 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Publisher rating · LOW