CVE-2026-63761: SurrealDB ES512 Silently Downgraded To ES384 Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fwg2-gr34-q3w8
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-327
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-63761 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) es512 silently downgraded to es384 vulnerability (CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm) affecting SurrealDB libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves es512 silently downgraded to es384 due to jsonwebtoken crate limitation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.0.

CVE-2026-63761 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-63761
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fwg2-gr34-q3w8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
Affected Product SurrealDB
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2026-63761

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected SurrealDB dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

surrealdb fixed: 3.1.0 
Upgrade surrealdb to 3.1.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for surrealdb

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-63761, inspect your project dependencies for SurrealDB:

inspect dependencies for surrealdb

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of SurrealDB in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm, where the product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol. In SurrealDB, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

When a user configures `ALGORITHM ES512` for any JWT access method (`DEFINE ACCESS ... TYPE JWT ALGORITHM ES512`), SurrealDB silently substitutes ES384 at all four internal algorithm conversion points. This occurs because the underlying `jsonwebtoken` crate (v10.x) does not include an ES512 algorithm variant, so the mapping defaults to ES384 without raising an error, warning, or log message. Users who provide the correct P-521 key type for ES512 will experience authentication handshake failures due to the curve mismatch with ES384 (which expects P-384). ### Impact Authentication handshake failures when using ES512 with the correct P-521 key type, and when tokens are verified by external systems expecting real ES512 signatures. This vulnerability cannot be exploited to forge tokens or compromise the integrity or confidentiality of data handled by SurrealDB, as ES384 remains cryptographically strong. ### Patches Versions prior to SurrealDB `v3.1.0` are vulnerable. The patches for SurrealDB `v3.1.0` block new `DEFINE ACCESS` statements using `ALGORITHM ES512` with a clear error message and add deprecation warnings at runtime for existing stored ES512 definitions. ### Workarounds Users should reconfigure affected JWT access methods to use a supported algorithm such as ES384 (with a P-384 key pair) or another supported algorithm. Review any `DEFINE ACCESS` statements specifying `ALGORITHM ES512` and update them accordingly.

CVE-2026-63761 Affected SurrealDB Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
surrealdb
 crates.io
< 3.1.0
3.1.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/security/advisories/GHSA-fwg2-gr34-q3w8
NVD — CVE-2026-63761 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63761
SurrealDB Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/pull/7226
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/commit/bd043d73dad583219d7df2b91f81ab0054c53730
SurrealDB Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/surreald... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/surrealdb-before-algorithm-downgrade-via-es512

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-63761?
CVE-2026-63761 is a security vulnerability in SurrealDB involving ES512 silently downgraded to ES384 due to jsonwebtoken crate limitation under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm.
Which SurrealDB versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.0 across affected packages: surrealdb.
What version fixes CVE-2026-63761?
Upgrading to 3.1.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is surrealdb affected?
Yes, surrealdb is affected in releases prior to 3.1.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-63761?
CVE-2026-63761 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-63761?
CVE-2026-63761 is classified under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (The product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2026-63761?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for surrealdb'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-fwg2-gr34-q3w8",
  "modified" : "2026-09-04T20:28:53Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-01T20:23:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-63761" ],
  "summary" : "SurrealDB: ES512 silently downgraded to ES384 due to jsonwebtoken crate limitation",
  "details" : "When a user configures `ALGORITHM ES512` for any JWT access method (`DEFINE ACCESS ... TYPE JWT ALGORITHM ES512`), SurrealDB silently substitutes ES384 at all four internal algorithm conversion points. This occurs because the underlying `jsonwebtoken` crate (v10.x) does not include an ES512 algorithm variant, so the mapping defaults to ES384 without raising an error, warning, or log message.\n \nUsers who provide the correct P-521 key type for ES512 will experience authentication handshake failures due to the curve mismatch with ES384 (which expects P-384).\n \n### Impact\n \nAuthentication handshake failures when using ES512 with the correct P-521 key type, and when tokens are verified by external systems expecting real ES512 signatures. \n \nThis vulnerability cannot be exploited to forge tokens or compromise the integrity or confidentiality of data handled by SurrealDB, as ES384 remains cryptographically strong.\n\n### Patches\n \nVersions prior to SurrealDB `v3.1.0` are vulnerable.\n \nThe patches for SurrealDB `v3.1.0` block new `DEFINE ACCESS` statements using `ALGORITHM ES512` with a clear error message and add deprecation warnings at runtime for existing stored ES512 definitions.\n\n### Workarounds\n \nUsers should reconfigure affected JWT access methods to use a supported algorithm such as ES384 (with a P-384 key pair) or another supported algorithm. Review any `DEFINE ACCESS` statements specifying `ALGORITHM ES512` and update them accordingly.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "surrealdb"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/security/advisories/GHSA-fwg2-gr34-q3w8"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63761"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/pull/7226"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb/commit/bd043d73dad583219d7df2b91f81ab0054c53730"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/surrealdb-before-algorithm-downgrade-via-es512"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-327" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-01T20:23:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}