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 (68913)
An exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor [CWE-200] vulnerability in FortiAnalyzer versions 7.2.0 through 7.2.1, 7.0.0 through 7.0.4 and 6.4.0 through 6.4.10 may allow a remote. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
An attacker with physical access to the affected Moxa UC Series devices can initiate a restart of the device and gain access to its BIOS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
HTTP Response Smuggling vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server via mod_proxy_uwsgi.4.30 through 2.4.55. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Total Upkeep plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to information disclosure in versions up to, and including 1.14.13. 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 Plus Addons for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file reads in versions up to, and including 4.1.9 (pro) and 2.0.6 (free). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The JetBackup - WP Backup, Migrate & Restore plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to sensitive information disclosure in versions up to, and including, 1.4.0 due to a lack of proper capability checking. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path element vulnerability exists in pg_ivm versions prior to 1.5.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Information disclosure vulnerability exists in pg_ivm versions prior to 1.5.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
rami.io pretix before 4.17.1 allows OAuth application authorization from a logged-out session. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AgileBio Electronic Lab Notebook v4.234 was discovered to contain a local file inclusion vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
BuildKit is a toolkit for converting source code to build artifacts in an efficient, expressive and repeatable manner. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
discourse-yearly-review is a discourse plugin which publishes an automated Year in Review topic. 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 Protection for Outbound Error Messages and Alert Signals vulnerability in ProMIS Process Co. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An Improper Access Control vulnerability in BlogEngine.NET 3.3.8.0, allows unauthenticated visitors to access the files of unpublished blogs. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Versions of the package @nestjs/core before 9.0.5 are vulnerable to Information Exposure via the StreamableFile pipe. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
All versions of the package dot-lens are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the set() function in index.js file. 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.
Use-after-free vulnerability exists in Kostac PLC Programming Software (Former name: Koyo PLC Programming Software) Version 1.6.9.0 and earlier. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Kostac PLC Programming Software (Former name: Koyo PLC Programming Software) Version 1.6.9.0 and earlier. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Kostac PLC Programming Software (Former name: Koyo PLC Programming Software) Version 1.6.9.0 and earlier. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
debmany in debian-goodies 0.88.1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands (because of an eval call) via a crafted .deb file. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.1378. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
authentik is an open-source Identity Provider. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
vantage6 is a privacy preserving federated learning infrastructure for secure insight exchange. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Directus is a real-time API and App dashboard for managing SQL database content. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Intelligence Center could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to collect sensitive information or perform a server-side request forgery (SSRF) attack on. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Intelligence Center could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to collect sensitive information or perform a server-side request forgery (SSRF) attack on. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Gitpod versions prior to release-2022.11.2.16. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Plaintext Storage of a Password vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric Corporation MELSEC iQ-F Series, MELSEC iQ-R Series, MELSEC-Q Series and MELSEC-L Series allows a remote unauthenticated attacker. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Use of Platform-Dependent Third Party Components in GitHub repository cockpit-hq/cockpit prior to 2.4.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
SonicOS SSLVPN improper restriction of excessive MFA attempts vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to use excessive MFA codes. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Saleor is a headless, GraphQL commerce platform delivering personalized shopping experiences. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Saleor is a headless, GraphQL commerce platform delivering personalized shopping experiences. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Dell PowerScale OneFS 9.4.0.x contains exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
A use-after-free vulnerability in WebCore::RenderLayer::updateDescendantDependentFlags in WebKitGTK before 2.36.8 allows attackers to execute code remotely. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A use-after-free vulnerability in WebCore::RenderLayer::repaintBlockSelectionGaps in WebKitGTK before 2.36.8 allows attackers to execute code remotely. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A use-after-free vulnerability in WebCore::RenderLayer::setNextSibling in WebKitGTK before 2.36.8 allows attackers to execute code remotely. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A use-after-free vulnerability in WebCore::RenderLayer::renderer in WebKitGTK before 2.36.8 allows attackers to execute code remotely. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A use-after-free vulnerability in WebCore::RenderLayer::addChild in WebKitGTK before 2.36.8 allows attackers to execute code remotely. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Handling of Parameters vulnerability in Bordam Information Technologies Library Automation System allows Collect Data as Provided by Users.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Handling of Parameters vulnerability in Bordam Information Technologies Library Automation System allows Collect Data as Provided by Users.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Neutralization of Equivalent Special Elements in GitHub repository btcpayserver/btcpayserver prior to 1.8.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Gradle is a build tool with a focus on build automation and support for multi-language development. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
OpenSearch Security is a plugin for OpenSearch that offers encryption, authentication and authorization. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
SAUTER Controls Nova 200-220 Series with firmware version 3.3-006 and prior and BACnetstac version 4.2.1 and prior have only FTP and Telnet available for device management. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
vantage6 is a privacy preserving federated learning infrastructure for secure insight exchange. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
In the Linux kernel before 5.16, tools/perf/util/expr.c lacks a check for the hashmap__new return value. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.0).
Divide By Zero in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.1367. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Dell NetWorker versions 19.5 and earlier contain 'Apache Tomcat' version disclosure vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell NetWorker versions 19.5 and earlier contain 'RabbitMQ' version disclosure vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An authenticated information disclosure vulnerability exists in the ArubaOS web-based management interface. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability exists which allows 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.
An insufficient session expiration vulnerability exists in the ArubaOS command line interface. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access controls on entries in Devolutions Server 2022.3.12 and earlier could allow an authenticated user to access sensitive data without proper authorization. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access controls on some API endpoints in Devolutions Server 2022.3.12 and earlier could allow a standard privileged user to perform privileged actions. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In PHP 8.0.X before 8.0.28, 8.1.X before 8.1.16 and 8.2.X before 8.2.3, password_verify() function may accept some invalid Blowfish hashes as valid. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.2), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
When SMT is enabled, certain AMD processors may speculatively execute instructions using a target from the sibling thread after an SMT mode switch potentially resulting in information disclosure. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7). No vendor patch available.
External Control of File Name or Path in GitHub repository flatpressblog/flatpress prior to 1.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
API Platform Core is the server component of API Platform: hypermedia and GraphQL APIs. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
In the Linux kernel before 6.0.3, drivers/gpu/drm/virtio/virtgpu_object.c misinterprets the drm_gem_shmem_get_sg_table return value (expects it to be NULL in the error case, whereas it is actually an. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In the Linux kernel before 5.17.2, drivers/soc/qcom/qcom_aoss.c does not release an of_find_device_by_node reference after use, e.g., with put_device. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
GNU libmicrohttpd before 0.9.76 allows remote DoS (Denial of Service) due to improper parsing of a multipart/form-data boundary in the postprocessor.c MHD_create_post_processor() method. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available.
Sudo before 1.9.13p2 has a double free in the per-command chroot feature. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in TPM2.0's Module Library allowing a 2-byte read past the end of a TPM2.0 command in the CryptParameterDecryption routine. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In dropFramesUntilIframe of AAVCAssembler.cpp, 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. This Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability could allow attackers to read data from memory outside the intended buffer boundaries.
In onCreatePreferences of EditInfoFragment.java, there is a possible way to read contacts belonging to other users due to improper input validation. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
All versions of the package utilities are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the _mix function. 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.
In the Linux kernel before 5.17, an error path in dwc3_qcom_acpi_register_core in drivers/usb/dwc3/dwc3-qcom.c lacks certain platform_device_put and kfree calls. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
A flaw was found in RHDS 11 and RHDS 12. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Nextcloud Talk is a fully on-premises audio/video and chat communication service. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A privacy issue was addressed with improved handling of temporary files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A race condition was addressed with additional validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved handling of caches. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An information disclosure issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed by enabling hardened runtime. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sme.UP ERP TOKYO V6R1M220406 was discovered to contain an information disclosure vulnerability via the /debug endpoint. 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.
External Control of File Name or Path in GitHub repository nilsteampassnet/teampass prior to 3.0.0.22. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
The Correos Oficial WordPress plugin through 1.2.0.2 does not have an authorization check user input validation when generating a file path, allowing unauthenticated attackers to download arbitrary. 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.
Mattermost fails to honor the ShowEmailAddress setting when constructing a response to the /api/v4/users/me/teams API endpoint, allowing an attacker with team admin privileges to learn the team. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to honor the ShowEmailAddress setting when constructing a response to the "Regenerate Invite Id" API endpoint, allowing an attacker with team admin privileges to learn the team. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Arbitrary File Delete vulnerability in Razer Central before v7.8.0.381 when handling files in the Accounts directory. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.