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 (68905)
Improper input validation vulnerability in SCEPProfile prior to SMR Jul-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to launch privileged activities. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control vulnerability in Settings prior to SMR Jul-2023 Release 1 allows physical attacker to use restricted user profile to access device owner's google account data. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control vulnerability in PersonaManagerService prior to SMR Jul-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to change confiugration. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sensitive Cookie in HTTPS Session Without 'Secure' Attribute in GitHub repository it-novum/openitcockpit prior to 4.6.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
MechanicalSoup is a Python library for automating interaction with websites. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
PAX A930 device with PayDroid_7.1.1_Virgo_V04.5.02_20220722 can allow an attacker to gain root access by running a crafted binary leveraging an exported function from a shared library. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AMI SPx contains a vulnerability in the BMC where an Attacker may cause an improper neutralization of CRLF sequences in HTTP Headers. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AMI SPx contains a vulnerability in the BMC where a user may cause a missing cryptographic step by generating a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AMI SPx contains a vulnerability in the BMC where an Attacker may cause a use of hard-coded cryptographic key by a hard-coded certificate. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AMI SPx contains a vulnerability in the BMC where a user may cause an inadequate encryption strength by hash-based message authentication code (HMAC). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In MADEFORNET HTTP Debugger through 9.12, the Windows service does not set the seclevel registry key before launching the driver. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A refcounting issue which leads to potential memory leak was discovered in scipy commit 8627df31ab in Py_FindObjects() function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
In Progress MOVEit Transfer before 2021.0.9 (13.0.9), 2021.1.7 (13.1.7), 2022.0.7 (14.0.7), 2022.1.8 (14.1.8), and 2023.0.4 (15.0.4), it is possible for an attacker to invoke a method that results in. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerabilities exist which allow an authenticated attacker to access sensitive information on the ArubaOS command line interface. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerabilities exist which allow an authenticated attacker to access sensitive information on the ArubaOS command line interface. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
"protobuf.js (aka protobufjs) 6.10.0 through 7.x before 7.2.5 allows Prototype Pollution, a different vulnerability than CVE-2022-25878. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Key management vulnerability on system. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A compliance problem was found in the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A CWE-552 "Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties” in the web interface of the Tyan S5552 BMC version 3.00 allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to retrieve the private key of the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
TN-5900 Series version 3.3 and prior versions is vulnearble to user enumeration vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A website could prevent a user from exiting full-screen mode via alert and prompt calls. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A use-after-free condition existed in `NotifyOnHistoryReload` where a `LoadingSessionHistoryEntry` object was freed and a reference to that object remained. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Uploading files which contain symlinks may have allowed an attacker to trick a user into submitting sensitive data to a malicious website. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The use of RTL Arabic characters in the address bar may have allowed for URL spoofing. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A website could have obscured the fullscreen notification by using an option element by introducing lag via an expensive computational function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A website could have obscured the fullscreen notification by using a URL with a scheme handled by an external program, such as a mailto URL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cross-compartment wrappers wrapping a scripted proxy could have caused objects from other compartments to be stored in the main compartment resulting in a use-after-free. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An attacker could have triggered a use-after-free condition when creating a WebRTC connection over HTTPS. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** Use of TikaEncodingDetector in Apache Any23 can cause excessive memory usage. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in quarkus-core. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Ultimate Member WordPress plugin before 2.6.7 does not prevent visitors from creating user accounts with arbitrary capabilities, effectively allowing attackers to create administrator accounts at. 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.
The Tutor LMS WordPress plugin before 2.2.1 does not implement adequate permission checks for REST API endpoints, allowing unauthenticated attackers to access information from Lessons that should not. 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.
The Forminator WordPress plugin before 1.24.1 does not use an atomic operation to check whether a user has already voted, and then update that information. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The ND Shortcodes WordPress plugin before 7.0 does not validate some shortcode attributes before using them to generate paths passed to include function/s, allowing any authenticated users such as. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Weak Configuration due to improper input validation in Modem while processing LTE security mode command message received from network. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Information disclosure in DSP Services while loading dynamic module. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In display, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In display, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX A100/A800 contains a vulnerability in SBIOS where an attacker may cause improper input validation by providing configuration information in an unexpected format. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX A100/A800 contains a vulnerability in SBIOS where an attacker may cause execution with unnecessary privileges by leveraging a weakness whereby proper input parameter validation is not. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA vGPU software contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin), where a guest OS may be able to control resources for which it is not authorized, which may lead to information. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer, where an unprivileged user can cause an integer overflow, which may lead to information disclosure and denial of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
All versions of the TWinSoft Configuration Tool store encrypted passwords as plaintext in memory. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The affected TBox RTUs generate software security tokens using insufficient entropy. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Users may be able to launch containers using images that are restricted by ImagePolicyWebhook when using ephemeral containers. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) before 3.09 mishandles access control for an uninstaller directory. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The affected TBox RTUs run OpenVPN with root privileges and can run user defined configuration scripts. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The affected TBox RTUs store hashed passwords using MD5 encryption, which is an insecure encryption algorithm. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
`tktchurch/website` contains the codebase for The King's Temple Church website. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Out of bounds read in Google Security Processor firmware in Google Chrome on Chrome OS prior to 114.0.5735.90 allowed a local attacker to perform denial of service via physical access to the device. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
CometBFT is a Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) middleware that takes a state transition machine and replicates it on many machines. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
CometBFT is a Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) middleware that takes a state transition machine and replicates it on many machines. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Versions of the package tough-cookie before 4.1.3 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution due to improper handling of Cookies when using CookieJar in rejectPublicSuffixes=false mode. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
The llhttp parser in the http module in Node v20.2.0 does not strictly use the CRLF sequence to delimit HTTP requests. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File in GitHub repository fossbilling/fossbilling prior to 0.5.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Improper Information in Cybersecurity Guidebook in Bosch Building Integration System (BIS) 5.0 may lead to wrong configuration which allows local users to access data via network. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Hnswlib 0.7.0 has a double free in init_index when the M argument is a large integer. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
pypdf is a pure-python PDF library capable of splitting, merging, cropping, and transforming the pages of PDF files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
MISP 2.4.172 mishandles different certificate file extensions in server sync. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
An issue was discovered in the ProofreadPage (aka Proofread Page) extension for MediaWiki through 1.39.3. 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.
An issue was discovered in the CheckUser extension for MediaWiki through 1.39.3. 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.
An issue was discovered in SubmitEntityAction in Wikibase in MediaWiki through 1.39.3. 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.
Exposure of resource to wrong sphere issue exists in WL-WN531AX2 firmware versions prior to 2023526, which may allow a network-adjacent attacker to use functions originally available after login. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Client-side enforcement of server-side security issue exists in WL-WN531AX2 firmware versions prior to 2023526, which may allow an attacker with an administrative privilege to execute OS commands. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
All versions of the package flatnest are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the nest() function in the flatnest/nest.js file. 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.
Exposure of information intended to be encrypted by some Zoom clients may lead to disclosure of sensitive information. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Tuleap is a Free & Open Source Suite to improve management of software developments and collaboration. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
A security defect was identified in Foundry Issues. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The password reset function in ILIAS 7.0_beta1 through 7.20 and 8.0_beta1 through 8.1 allows remote attackers to take over the account. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A possible out-of-bounds read and write (due to an improper length check of shared memory) was discovered in Arm NN Android-NN-Driver before 23.02. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Play With Docker < 0.0.2 has an insecure CAP_SYS_ADMIN privileged mode causing the docker container to escape. 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.
Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow JDBC Provider. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Active Directory Integration / LDAP Integration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to LDAP Injection in versions up to, and including, 4.1.5. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
A Directory Browsing vulnerability in MCL-Net version 4.3.5.8788 webserver running on default port 5080, allows attackers to gain sensitive information about the configured databases via the "/file". 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.
calamares-nixos-extensions provides Calamares branding and modules for NixOS, a distribution of GNU/Linux. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
D-Link DSL-224 firmware version 3.0.10 CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
D-Link DSL-224 firmware version 3.0.10 allows post authentication command execution via an unspecified method. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In applyRemoteView of NotificationContentInflater.java, there is a possible way to hide foreground service notification due to misleading or insufficient UI. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In SAEMM_RetrieveTaiList of SAEMM_ContextManagement.c, there is a possible out of bounds read due to an incorrect bounds check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In ss_ProcessReturnResultComponent of ss_MmConManagement.c, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a heap buffer overflow. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In LPP_ConvertGNSS_DataBitAssistance of LPP_CommonUtil.c, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
there is a possible use of unencrypted transport over cellular networks due to an insecure default value. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
there is a possible use of unencrypted transport over cellular networks due to an insecure default value. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In addGroupWithConfigInternal of p2p_iface.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to unsafe deserialization. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In initiateTdlsTeardownInternal of sta_iface.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In multiple files, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In multiple files, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a heap buffer overflow. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In initiateHs20IconQueryInternal of sta_iface.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In setCountryCodeInternal of sta_iface.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In initiateTdlsSetupInternal of sta_iface.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.