My model attacker is a limited user that has access to an advanced search function with filtering on number inequality and/or string patterns akin to LIKE. Such an attacker could send a search query such as "id = 4829 AND cost > 1000" and measure the time that query took (over multiple executions). From the time data the attacker could then determine if object 4829 has a cost value of over 1000, gaining 1 bit of data. Through a binary search they could obtain the full value in logarithmic time.

If the authorization check was fast enough (which it probably is for performance reasons anyway), this would be reduced to the attacker obtaining statistical information (roughly how many objects have cost over 1000). That might be acceptable, my problem is that a benign-looking performane problem could become a serious security problem.