Information Disclosure
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
How It Works
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security. This happens through multiple channels: verbose error messages that display stack traces revealing internal paths and frameworks, improperly secured debug endpoints left active in production, and misconfigured servers that expose directory listings or version control artifacts like .git folders. APIs often leak excessive data in responses—returning full user objects when only a name is needed, or revealing system internals through metadata fields.
Attackers exploit these exposures systematically. They probe for common sensitive files (.env, config.php, backup archives), trigger error conditions to extract framework details, and analyze response timing or content differences to enumerate valid usernames or resources. Even subtle variations—like "invalid password" versus "user not found"—enable account enumeration. Exposed configuration files frequently contain database credentials, API keys, or internal service URLs that unlock further attack vectors.
The attack flow typically starts with passive reconnaissance: examining HTTP headers, JavaScript bundles, and public endpoints for version information and architecture clues. Active probing follows—testing predictable paths, manipulating parameters to trigger exceptions, and comparing responses across similar requests to identify information leakage patterns.
Impact
- Credential compromise: Exposed configuration files, hardcoded secrets in source code, or API keys enable direct authentication bypass
- Attack surface mapping: Stack traces, framework versions, and internal paths help attackers craft targeted exploits for known vulnerabilities
- Data breach: Direct exposure of user data, payment information, or proprietary business logic through oversharing APIs or accessible backups
- Privilege escalation pathway: Internal URLs, service discovery information, and architecture details facilitate lateral movement and SSRF attacks
- Compliance violations: GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA penalties for exposing regulated data through preventable disclosures
Real-World Examples
A major Git repository exposure affected thousands of websites when .git folders remained accessible on production servers, allowing attackers to reconstruct entire source code histories including deleted commits containing credentials. Tools like GitDumper automated mass exploitation of this misconfiguration.
Cloud storage misconfigurations have repeatedly exposed sensitive data when companies left S3 buckets or Azure Blob containers publicly readable. One incident exposed 150 million voter records because verbose API error messages revealed the storage URL structure, and no authentication was required.
Framework debug modes left enabled in production have caused numerous breaches. Django's DEBUG=True setting exposed complete stack traces with database queries and environment variables, while Laravel's debug pages revealed encryption keys through the APP_KEY variable in environment dumps.
Mitigation
- Generic error pages: Return uniform error messages to users; log detailed exceptions server-side only
- Disable debug modes: Enforce production configurations that suppress stack traces, verbose logging, and debug endpoints through deployment automation
- Access control audits: Restrict or remove development artifacts (
.git, backup files,phpinfo()) and internal endpoints before deployment - Response minimization: API responses should return only necessary fields; implement allowlists rather than blocklists for data exposure
- Security headers: Deploy
X-Content-Type-Options, remove server version banners, and disable directory indexing - Timing consistency: Ensure authentication and validation responses take uniform time regardless of input validity
Recent CVEs (68306)
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in gavias Vizeon - Business Consulting allows PHP Local File Inclusion.1.7. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in ApusTheme Capie allows PHP Local File Inclusion.0.40. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
A business logic error in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 12.1 prior to 17.10.7, 17.11 prior to 17.11.3 and 18.0 prior to 18.0.1 where an attacker can cause a branch name confusion. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in TOZED ZLT W51 up to 1.4.2 and classified as critical. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Token used for resetting passwords in MegaBIP software are generated using a small space of random values combined with a queryable value. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Stored Absolute Path Traversal vulnerabilities in ASPECT could expose sensitive data if administrator credentials become compromised.*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series: through 3.*. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
gs_lib_ctx_stash_sanitized_arg in base/gslibctx.c in Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.1 lacks argument sanitization for the # case. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.0), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
PrinterShare Android application allows the capture of Gmail authentication tokens that can be reused to access a user's Gmail account without proper authorization. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Ecovacs Home Android and iOS Mobile Applications up to version 3.3.0 contained embedded access keys and secrets for Alibaba Object Storage Service (OSS), leading to sensitive data disclosure. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: This CVE ID has been rejected or withdrawn by its CVE Numbering Authority. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: This CVE ID has been rejected or withdrawn by its CVE Numbering Authority. No vendor patch available.
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
zot is ancontainer image/artifact registry based on the Open Container Initiative Distribution Specification. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Schule is open-source school management system software. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Predictable filename vulnerabilities in ASPECT may expose sensitive information to a potential attacker if administrator credentials become compromised*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series:. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Weak password storage vulnerabilities exist in ASPECT if administrator credentials become compromised*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series: through 3.*. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Large content vulnerabilities are present in ASPECT exposing a device to disk overutilization on a system if administrator credentials become compromised*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series:. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Serialized configuration information may be disclosed during device commissioning while using ASPECT's configuration toolset*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series: through 3.*. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sensitive device logger information in ASPECT may be exposed if administrator credentials become compromised*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series: through 3.*. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
One way hash with predictable salt vulnerabilities in ASPECT may expose sensitive information to a potential attacker*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series: through 3.*. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Large content vulnerabilities are present in ASPECT exposing a device to disk overutilization on a system if administrator credentials become compromised*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series:. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
DLL's are not digitally signed when loaded in ASPECT's configuration toolset exposing the application to binary planting during device commissioning.*; NEXUS Series: through 3.*; MATRIX Series:. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
wire-webapp is the web application for the open-source messaging service Wire. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0).
Exposure of file path, file size or file existence vulnerabilities in ASPECT provide attackers access to file system information if session administrator credentials become compromised.08.03; NEXUS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Port manipulation vulnerabilities in ASPECT provide attackers with the ability to con-trol TCP/IP port access if session administrator credentials become compromised.08.03; NEXUS Series: through. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
File corruption vulnerabilities in ASPECT provide attackers access to overwrite sys-tem files if session administrator credentials become compromised08.03; NEXUS Series: through 3.08.03; MATRIX. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An Unchecked Loop Condition in ASPECT provides an attacker the ability to maliciously consume system resources if session administrator credentials become compromised08.03; NEXUS Series: through. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
wire-webapp is the web application for the open-source messaging service Wire. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.6). No vendor patch available.
Asterisk is an open-source private branch exchange (PBX). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Sandboxie is a sandbox-based isolation software for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows NT-based operating systems. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
IBM Aspera Faspex 5.0.0 through 5.0.12 could allow an authenticated user to obtain sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of another user due to client-side enforcement of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Aspera Faspex 5.0.0 through 5.0.12 could allow an authenticated user to obtain sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of another user due to improper protection of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Absolute File Traversal vulnerabilities in ASPECT allows access and modification of unintended resources.08.03; NEXUS Series: through 3.08.03; MATRIX Series: through 3.08.03. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Packages downloaded by Checkmk's automatic agent updates on Linux and Solaris have incorrect permissions in Checkmk < 2.4.0p1, < 2.3.0p32, < 2.2.0p42 and <= 2.1.0p49 (EOL). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 17.1 before 17.10.7, 17.11 before 17.11.3, and 18.0 before 18.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Infoblox NETMRI before 7.6.1 has a vulnerability allowing remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files with root access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions before 17.10.7, 17.11 before 17.11.3, and 18.0 before 18.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Issue summary: Use of -addreject option with the openssl x509 application adds a trusted use instead of a rejected use for a certificate. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 18.0 before 18.0.1. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on QNX allows File Manipulation.14.2, before 4.15.1,. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Use of GET Request Method With Sensitive Query Strings vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Linux, QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows, Linux, QNX allows Parameter. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Output Neutralization for Logs vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Linux, QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows, Linux, QNX allows Input Data. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Handling of Windows ::DATA Alternate Data Stream vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows allows Input Data Manipulation.14.2,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Use of Validation Framework vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Linux, QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows, Linux, QNX allows Input Data Manipulation.14.2,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Observable Response Discrepancy vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Linux, QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows, Linux, QNX allows Cryptanalysis.14.2, before 4.15.1,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Cryptographic Step vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Linux, QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows, Linux, QNX allows Cryptanalysis.14.2, before 4.15.1,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Linux, QNX, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows, Linux, QNX allows. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource vulnerability in Tridium Niagara Framework on Windows, Tridium Niagara Enterprise Security on Windows allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Harman Becker MGU21 Bluetooth Improper Input Validation Denial-of-Service Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cloudera Hue Ace Editor Directory Traversal Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
MedDream WEB DICOM Viewer Cleartext Transmission of Credentials Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Opening maliciously-crafted URLs in Firefox from other apps such as Safari could have allowed attackers to spoof website addresses if the URLs utilized non-HTTP schemes used internally by the Firefox. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
GitHub Desktop is an open-source, Electron-based GitHub app designed for git development. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Local File Inclusion vulnerability in Vasco v3.14and before allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via help menu. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Secure Network Analytics Manager and Cisco Secure Network Analytics Virtual Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in client join services of Cisco Webex Meetings could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to manipulate cached HTTP responses within the meeting join service. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the RADIUS message processing feature of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Intelligence Center could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator for a limited set of functions on an affected system. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in multiple Cisco Unified Communications and Contact Center Solutions products could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to root on an affected device. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The local iLabClient database in itech iLabClient 3.7.1 allows local attackers to read cleartext credentials (from the CONFIGS table) for their servers configured in the client. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The reint_downloadmanager extension through 5.0.0 for TYPO3 allows Insecure Direct Object Reference. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The sr_feuser_register extension through 12.4.8 for TYPO3 allows Insecure Direct Object Reference. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The femanager extension through 8.2.1 for TYPO3 allows Insecure Direct Object Reference. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The ns_backup extension through 13.0.0 for TYPO3 has a Predictable Resource Location. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
itech iLabClient 3.7.1 relies on the hard-coded YngAYdgAE/kKZYu2F2wm6w== key (found in iLabClient.jar) for local users to read or write to the database. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The certificate and private key used for providing transport layer security for connections to the web interface (TCP port 443) is hard-coded in the firmware and are shipped with the update files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A USB backdoor feature can be triggered by attaching a USB drive that contains specially crafted "salia.ini" files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.2), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Data provided in a request performed to the server while activating a new device are put in a database. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Glossary by WPPedia - Best Glossary plugin for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.0 via deserialization of untrusted. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The devices do not implement any authentication for the web interface or the MQTT server. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
In Eclipse JGit versions 7.2.0.202503040940-r and older, the ManifestParser class used by the repo command and the AmazonS3 class used to implement the experimental amazons3 git transport protocol. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Madara - Responsive and modern WordPress theme for manga sites theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 2.2.2 via the 'template' parameter. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Yandex Browser for Android prior to version 21.3.0 allows remote attackers to perform IDN homograph attack. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Yandex Browser Lite for Android before 21.1.0 allows remote attackers to spoof the address bar. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in the libsoup package. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The DIGITS: WordPress Mobile Number Signup and Login WordPress plugin before 8.4.6.1 does not rate limit OTP validation attempts, making it straightforward for attackers to bruteforce them. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: This CVE ID has been rejected or withdrawn by its CVE Numbering Authority. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in GNU PSPP 82fb509fb2fedd33e7ac0c46ca99e108bb3bdffb. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
containerd is a container runtime. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The affected products could allow an unauthenticated attacker to access system information that could enable further access to sensitive files and obtain administrative credentials. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.