Row Level Security (RLS) Misconfiguration
Last updated: January 12, 2026
RLS misconfiguration occurs when database tables lack proper row-level access controls, allowing unauthorized users to read, modify, or delete any data.
Scan for This VulnerabilityWhat is Row Level Security (RLS) Misconfiguration?
Row Level Security (RLS) is a PostgreSQL feature used by Supabase to control which rows users can access. When RLS is disabled or misconfigured, your entire database becomes accessible to anyone with your public anon key - which is visible in your frontend code by design.
Why It's Dangerous
This vulnerability can allow attackers to access sensitive data, compromise user accounts, or gain unauthorized control over your application. In AI-generated code, this issue is particularly common because security measures are often deprioritized in favor of rapid feature development.
Why AI Code Is Vulnerable
AI code generation tools focus on producing functional code quickly. They often generate patterns that work correctly but lack the defensive measures experienced security engineers would implement. This makes row level security (rls) misconfiguration particularly prevalent in vibe-coded applications.
Understanding the Technical Details
Row Level Security (RLS) Misconfiguration is classified as a critical-severity vulnerability because of its potential to cause significant damage to your application and users. Understanding the technical mechanics helps you recognize and prevent this issue in your own code.
This vulnerability typically occurs when security controls are either missing entirely, improperly configured, or incorrectly implemented. In many cases, the code appears to work correctly during development and testing, but the security flaw becomes exploitable once the application is deployed and accessible to malicious actors.
Attackers actively scan for this type of vulnerability using automated tools. Once discovered, exploitation can be rapid—often within hours of your application going live. The consequences range from data theft and account takeover to complete system compromise depending on the application's architecture.
For vibe-coded applications built with platforms like Lovable, Bolt.new, Replit, or v0.dev, this vulnerability appears in roughly 20-40% of deployments according to security research. The AI-generated patterns often follow insecure defaults that require manual security hardening.
How It Happens
- RLS not enabled on tables (tables are open by default)
- Overly permissive policies (e.g., 'allow all')
- Missing policies for certain operations (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
- Policies that don't properly check auth.uid()
- AI code generators skipping security configuration
Impact
Complete data breach - attackers can read all user data
Data manipulation - attackers can modify or delete records
Privacy violations and regulatory non-compliance
Reputational damage and loss of user trust
Potential legal liability
How to Detect
- Query your database with just the anon key (no authentication)
- Check if you can read data from tables you shouldn't access
- Use VAS to automatically test RLS configuration
- Run: SELECT * FROM your_table; as an anonymous user
How to Fix
Enable RLS on all tables
First, enable Row Level Security on every table that contains data.
-- Enable RLS
ALTER TABLE profiles ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
ALTER TABLE posts ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
ALTER TABLE messages ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;Create restrictive policies
Write policies that check authentication and restrict access to user's own data.
-- Users can only read their own profile
CREATE POLICY "Users read own profile" ON profiles
FOR SELECT TO authenticated
USING ((select auth.uid()) = id);
-- Users can only update their own profile
CREATE POLICY "Users update own profile" ON profiles
FOR UPDATE TO authenticated
USING ((select auth.uid()) = id);Test your policies
Verify policies work by querying as different user contexts.
-- As anonymous user, this should return nothing:
SELECT * FROM profiles;
-- As authenticated user, should only return own data:
SELECT * FROM profiles WHERE id = auth.uid();Commonly Affected Platforms
Prevention Best Practices
The most effective approach to row level security (rls) misconfiguration is prevention. Implementing security measures during development is significantly easier and less costly than remediating vulnerabilities after deployment.
Security-First Development
When using AI code generation tools, always review the generated code for security implications. AI tools prioritize functionality over security, so treat all generated code as requiring security review. Establish a checklist of security requirements specific to your application type and verify each before deployment.
Continuous Security Testing
Integrate security scanning into your development workflow. Run scans after major code changes, before deployments, and on a regular schedule for production applications. Early detection of vulnerabilities reduces remediation costs and prevents potential breaches.
Defense in Depth
Never rely on a single security control. Implement multiple layers of protection so that if one control fails, others still protect your application. For example, combine authentication, authorization, input validation, and output encoding to create comprehensive protection against attacks.
Stay Informed
Security threats evolve constantly. Follow security researchers, subscribe to vulnerability databases, and monitor your dependencies for known issues. Understanding emerging threats helps you proactively protect your applications before attackers exploit new techniques.
Is Your App Vulnerable?
VAS automatically scans for row level security (rls) misconfiguration and provides detailed remediation guidance with code examples. Our scanner specifically targets vulnerabilities common in AI-generated applications.
Scans from $5, results in minutes. Get actionable results with step-by-step fix instructions tailored to your stack.
Get Starter ScanFrequently Asked Questions
What is Row Level Security (RLS)?
Row Level Security is a PostgreSQL feature used by Supabase to control which database rows each user can access. RLS policies define rules that filter data at the database level, ensuring users can only see and modify their own data.
Why is RLS misconfiguration so dangerous?
Without RLS, anyone with your Supabase anon key (which is public in your frontend code by design) can read, modify, or delete ALL data in your database. The CVE-2025-48757 incident exposed 170+ apps due to missing RLS configurations.
How do I check if my RLS is configured correctly?
Test by querying your database with just the anon key (no authentication). If you can read data you shouldn't access, RLS is misconfigured. Use VAS to automatically test your RLS configuration against common attack patterns.
Do I need RLS on every table?
Yes, enable RLS on every table that contains data. Tables without RLS are completely open to anyone with your anon key. Even lookup tables should have RLS enabled with appropriate read-only policies.