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 (68636)
A vulnerability was found in OpenSight Software FlashFXP 5.4.0.3970. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sensitive information disclosure due to spell-jacking. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.986 via the data_fetch. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
Dell OpenManage Enterprise, version(s) OME 4.1 and prior, contain(s) an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A maliciously crafted RFA file, when parsed through Autodesk Revit, can force a Stack-Based Buffer Overflow. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A discrepancy in error messages for invalid login attempts in Webmin Usermin v2.100 allows attackers to enumerate valid user accounts. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Issue summary: Use of the low-level GF(2^m) elliptic curve APIs with untrusted explicit values for the field polynomial can lead to out-of-bounds memory reads or writes. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input vulnerability in OpenText OpenText Application Automation Tools allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. Rated low severity (CVSS 1.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input vulnerability in OpenText OpenText Application Automation Tools allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. Rated low severity (CVSS 1.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco ATA 190 Series Multiplatform Analog Telephone Adapter firmware could allow an authenticated, local attacker with low privileges to view. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the backup feature of Cisco UCS Central Software could allow an attacker with access to a backup file to learn sensitive information that is stored in the full state and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Docker Desktop before v4.34.3 allows RCE via unsanitized GitHub source link in Build view. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Exposure of Sensitive System Information to an Unauthorized Control Sphere vulnerability in VaultDweller Leyka leyka.31.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in Acnoo Maan Addons For Elementor maan-elementor-addons allows Local Code. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in Hung Trang Si SB Random Posts Widget sb-random-posts-widget allows PHP Local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Attackers could put the special files in .osc into the actual package sources (e.g. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified in which an RKE1 cluster keeps constantly reconciling when secrets encryption configuration is enabled. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified within Rancher that can be exploited in narrow circumstances through a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
The Sina Extension for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 3.5.7 via the render function in. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
Users logged into the Apache CloudStack's web interface can be tricked to submit malicious CSRF requests due to missing validation of the origin of the requests. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The logout operation in the CloudStack web interface does not expire the user session completely which is valid until expiry by time or restart of the backend service. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Default Initialization of Resource vulnerability in Apache Solr. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper permission control in the mobile application (com.transsion.aivoiceassistant) can lead to the launch of any unexported component. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in Payments in Google Chrome prior to 130.0.6723.58 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI gestures to perform UI spoofing via a crafted. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient data validation in Downloads in Google Chrome prior to 130.0.6723.58 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI gestures to perform UI spoofing via a crafted. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in Permissions in Google Chrome prior to 130.0.6723.58 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI gestures to perform UI spoofing via a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in PictureInPicture in Google Chrome prior to 130.0.6723.58 allowed a remote attacker to perform UI spoofing via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in Ruijie NBR3000D-E Gateway allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the /tool/shell/postgresql.conf component. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Libheif 1.17.6, insufficient checks in ImageOverlay::parse() decoding a heif file containing an overlay image with forged offsets can lead to an out-of-bounds read and write. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Vulnerability in the MySQL Client product of Oracle MySQL (component: Client: mysqldump). Rated low severity (CVSS 2.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Service Bus product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: OSB Core Functionality). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality OPERA 5 product of Oracle Hospitality Applications (component: Opera Servlet). Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Agent Dart is an agent library built for Internet Computer for Dart and Flutter apps. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A denial of service vulnerability in A vulnerability (CVSS 6.5). Remediation should follow standard vulnerability management procedures.
Vendure is an open-source headless commerce platform. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
matrix-react-sdk is react-based software development kit for inserting a Matrix chat/VOIP client into a web page. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Element is a Matrix web client built using the Matrix React SDK. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Element Desktop is a Matrix client for desktop platforms. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
matrix-js-sdk is the Matrix Client-Server SDK for JavaScript and TypeScript. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Elliptic package 6.5.7 for Node.js, in its for ECDSA implementation, does not correctly verify valid signatures if the hash contains at least four leading 0 bytes and when the order of the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Cleartext transmission of sensitive information in acep-collector service. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Excessive attack surface in acep-collector service due to binding to an unrestricted IP address. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Excessive attack surface in acep-importer service due to binding to an unrestricted IP address. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Excessive attack surface in archive-server service due to binding to an unrestricted IP address. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: avoid leaving partial pfn mappings around in error case As Jann points out, PFN mappings are special, because unlike normal. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
An unauthenticated local attacker can decrypt the devices config file and therefore compromise the device due to a weak implementation of the encryption used. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can perform a brute-force attack on the credentials of the remote service portal with a high chance of success, resulting in connection lost. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Enterprise Cloud Database from Ragic does not properly validate a specific page parameter, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary system files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Elementor Website Builder - More than Just a Page Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Basic Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 3.23.5 via the get_image_alt. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WPIDE - File Manager & Code Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Full Path Disclosure in all versions up to, and including, 3.4.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A dynamic search for a prerequisite library could allow the possibility for an attacker to replace the correct file under some circumstances. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
CVE 2021-22681 https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/trust-center/security-advisories/advisory.PN1550.html and send a specially crafted CIP message to the device. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
SpiceDB is an open source database for scalably storing and querying fine-grained authorization data. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
An issue in Automatic Systems Maintenance SlimLane 29565_d74ecce0c1081d50546db573a499941b10799fb7 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the Racine & FileName parameters in the. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in Creative Labs Pte Ltd com.creative.apps.xficonnect 2.00.02 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in INATRONIC com.inatronic.bmw 2.7.1 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in ILIFE com.ilife.home.global 1.8.7 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in INATRONIC com.inatronic.drivedeck.home 2.6.23 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitve information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Tuleap is a tool for end to end traceability of application and system developments. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Tuleap is a tool for end to end traceability of application and system developments. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Tuleap is a tool for end to end traceability of application and system developments. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue in LOREX TECHNOLOGY INC com.lorexcorp.lorexping 1.4.22 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in Hubble Connected (com.hubbleconnected.vervelife) 2.00.81 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in PCS Engineering Preston Cinema (com.prestoncinema.app) 0.2.0 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in EQUES com.eques.plug 1.0.1 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 9.3.1, 9.2.3, and 9.1.6, the software potentially exposes plaintext passwords for local native authentication Splunk users. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 9.3.1, 9.2.3, and 9.1.6, the software potentially exposes sensitive HTTP parameters to the `_internal` index. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Splunk Enterprise for Windows versions below 9.3.1, 9.2.3, and 9.1.6, a low-privileged user that does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could write a file to the Windows system root. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Software installed and run as a non-privileged user may conduct GPU system calls to read and write freed physical memory from the GPU. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in Checkmk GmbH's Checkmk versions <2.3.0p18, <2.2.0p35, <2.1.0p48 and <=2.0.0p39 (EOL) causes SNMP and IMPI secrets of host and folder properties to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The fix for CVE-2024-26261 was incomplete, and and the specific package for OAKlouds from Hgiga remains at risk. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Team+ from TEAMPLUS TECHNOLOGY does not properly validate a specific page parameter, allowing remote attackers with administrator privileges to move arbitrary system files to the website root. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Team+ from TEAMPLUS TECHNOLOGY does not properly validate a specific page parameter, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary system files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
credentials in the firmware binary. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in QileCMS up to 1.1.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
The Elementor Addon Elements plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.13.8 via the render_column function in. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
The Bot for Telegram on WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to sensitive information disclosure due to missing authorization checks on the 'stm_wpcfto_get_settings' AJAX action in all. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Epss exploitation probability 47.6% and no vendor patch available.
An issue in YESCAM (com.yescom.YesCam.zwave) 1.0.2 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability exists in the jpress <= v5.1.1, which can be exploited by an attacker to obtain sensitive information, resulting in an information disclosure. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue in Plug n Play Camera com.wisdomcity.zwave 1.1.0 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the firmware update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
foxmarks is a CLI read-only interface for Firefox's bookmarks and history. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
btcd is an alternative full node bitcoin implementation written in Go (golang). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
An information disclosure vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server via attacker uploaded asset URL allowing the attacker to retrieve metadata information of a user who clicks on the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
A directory listing issue in the baserCMS plugin in D-ZERO CO., LTD. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect access control in Mirotalk before commit 9de226 allows attackers to arbitrarily change usernames via sending a crafted roomAction request to the server. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Atos Eviden SMC xScale before 1.6.6. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A DLL hijack vulnerability was reported in Lenovo stARstudio that could allow a local attacker to execute code with elevated privileges. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Eclipse Mosquitto up to version 2.0.18a, an attacker can achieve memory leaking, segmentation fault or heap-use-after-free by sending specific sequences of "CONNECT", "DISCONNECT", "SUBSCRIBE",. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
A potential information disclosure vulnerability was reported in Lenovo's packaging of Dolby Vision Provisioning software prior to version 2.0.0.2 that could allow a local attacker to read files on. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A DLL hijack vulnerability was reported in Lenovo Lock Screen that could allow a local attacker to execute code with elevated privileges. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.