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 (68847)
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), 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.
An issue discovered in Sipwise C5 NGCP Dashboard below mr11.5.1 allows a low privileged user to access the Journal endpoint by directly visit the URL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
JFreeChart v1.5.4 was discovered to be vulnerable to ArrayIndexOutOfBounds via the 'setSeriesNeedle(int index, int type)' method. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: ufs: core: Improve SCSI abort handling The following has been observed on a test setup: WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 250 at. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
A weak (low bit strength) device certificate in Palo Alto Networks Panorama software enables an attacker to perform a meddler-in-the-middle (MitM) attack to capture encrypted traffic between the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An incorrect string comparison vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software prevents Predefined Decryption Exclusions from functioning as intended. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A packet processing mechanism in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software enables a remote attacker to reboot hardware-based firewalls. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software enables a remote attacker to reboot PAN-OS firewalls when receiving Windows New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) packets from Windows servers. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in how Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software processes data received from Cloud Identity Engine (CIE) agents enables modification of User-ID groups. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
lunary-ai/lunary is vulnerable to a session reuse attack, allowing a removed user to change the organization name without proper authorization. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
By knowing an organization's ID, an attacker can join the organization without permission and gain the ability to read and modify all data within that organization. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Security Verify Access Appliance 10.0.0 through 10.0.7 could allow a malicious actor to conduct a man in the middle attack when deploying Open Source scripts due to missing certificate. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
IBM Security Verify Access Appliance 10.0.0 through 10.0.7 could allow a malicious actor to conduct a man in the middle attack when deploying Python scripts due to improper certificate validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in Tribulant Slideshow Gallery.7.8. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in CodePeople Contact Form Email.3.44. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in Joel Hardi User Spam Remover.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data vulnerability in Leap13 Premium Addons for Elementor premium-addons-for-elementor.10.22. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in Searchiq SearchIQ.5. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in WebToffee WordPress Backup & Migration.4.7. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in WPKube Subscribe To Comments Reloaded. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in Frédéric GILLES FG Drupal to WordPress.70.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in ConvertKit.4.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A user enumeration vulnerability was found in Portainer CE 2.19.4. 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.
Mautic uses predictable page indices for unpublished landing pages, their content can be accessed by unauthenticated users under public preview URLs which could expose sensitive data. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Photoshop Desktop versions 24.7.2, 25.3.1 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
InDesign Desktop versions 18.5.1, 19.2 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
After Effects versions 24.1, 23.6.2 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Essential Grid Gallery WordPress Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.1 via the on_front_ajax_action() function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The plugin is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in versions up to and including, 2.6.3 via deserialization of untrusted input in the import function via the 'shortcode' parameter. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Versions of the package mysql2 before 3.9.4 are vulnerable to Prototype Poisoning due to insecure results object creation and improper user input sanitization passed through parserFn in. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
SUBNET Solutions Inc. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper permission handling in the vault offline cache feature in Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager 2024.1.20 and earlier on windows and Devolutions Server 2024.1.8 and earlier allows an attacker. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The MasterStudy LMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.3 via the 'template' parameter. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 49.6%.
The WordPress Gallery Plugin - NextGEN Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the get_item function in versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 22.1%.
The Essential Addons for Elementor - Best Elementor Templates, Widgets, Kits & WooCommerce Builders plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
Improper input validation in PAM JIT elevation feature in Devolutions Server 2024.1.6 and earlier allows an attacker with access to the PAM JIT elevation feature to forge the displayed group in the. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.6). No vendor patch available.
The Link Whisper Free plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 0.7.1 via deserialization of untrusted input of the 'mfn-page-items' post meta. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Hubbub Lite - Fast, Reliable Social Sharing Buttons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.33.1 via deserialization of untrusted input. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
The Avada theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 7.11.6 via the '/wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/' directory. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 58.2%.
The Easy Digital Downloads - Sell Digital Files & Subscriptions (eCommerce Store + Payments Made Easy) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The Event Tickets and Registration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 5.8.2 via the RSVP functionality. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Form Maker by 10Web - Mobile-Friendly Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.15.22 via the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
The VK All in One Expansion Unit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 9.95.0.1 via social meta tags. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
The Video Conferencing with Zoom plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 4.4.5 via the get_assign_host_id AJAX action. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Simple Job Board plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 2.11.0 via deserialization of untrusted input in the. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The CMB2 plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 2.10.1 via deserialization of untrusted input from the text_datetime_timestamp_timezone. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
The Newsmatic theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.0 via the 'newsmatic_filter_posts_load_tab_content'. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Happy Addons for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to insufficient authorization on the duplicate_thing() function in all versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
The s2Member - Best Membership Plugin for All Kinds of Memberships, Content Restriction Paywalls & Member Access Subscriptions plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Watu Quiz plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 3.4.1 via the watu-userinfo shortcode. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
The WP Encryption - One Click Free SSL Certificate & SSL / HTTPS Redirect to Force HTTPS, SSL Score plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WP Reset - Most Advanced WordPress Reset Tool plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.0 via the use of insufficiently random. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required.
The WP Go Maps (formerly WP Google Maps) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthenticated API key disclosure in versions up to, and including, 9.0.34 due to the plugin adding the API key to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
The Beaver Themer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.9 via the 'wpbb' shortcode. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Apache Zeppelin. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Minder by Stacklok is an open source software supply chain security platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Contao is an open source content management system. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Azure Identity Library for .NET Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Azure Monitor Agent Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
DIRAC is an interware, meaning a software framework for distributed computing. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources from an unintended security context.
Azure AI Search Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Authentication Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft Brokering File System Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8). No vendor patch available.
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Kerberos Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Windows SMB Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Telephony Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Defender Credential Guard Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Update Stack Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
Windows Telephony Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Distributed File System (DFS) Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Mobile Hotspot Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows File Server Resource Management Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft Brokering File System Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
Microsoft Local Security Authority Subsystem Service Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Remote Access Connection Manager Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Secure Boot Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows DWM Core Library Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft Install Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Authentication Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Outlook for Windows Spoofing Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.