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 (12867)
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information Vulnerability in GX Works2 all versions allows an attacker to disclose credential information stored in plaintext from project files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: This CVE ID has been rejected or withdrawn by its CVE Numbering Authority. No vendor patch available.
A weakness in Automated Logic and Carrier i-Vu Gen5 router on driver version drv_gen5_106-01-2380, allows malformed packets to be sent through BACnet MS/TP network causing the devices to enter a. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Forge (also called `node-forge`) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
XML-Sig versions 0.27 through 0.67 for Perl incorrectly validates XML files if signatures are omitted. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 13.7 before 18.4.5, 18.5 before 18.5.3, and 18.6 before 18.6.1 that could have allowed an authenticated user to view. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in file users.json in GroceryMart commit 21934e6 (2020-10-23) allowing unauthenticated attackers to gain sensitive information including plaintext usernames and passwords. 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 unauthenticated administrative access vulnerability exists in the open-source HashTech project (https://github.com/henzljw/hashtech) 1.0 thru commit 5919decaff2681dc250e934814fc3a35f6093ee5. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 13.2 before 18.4.5, 18.5 before 18.5.3, and 18.6 before 18.6.1 that could have allowed an authenticated user with access to. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Overhang.IO (tutor-open-edx) (overhangio/tutor) 20.0.2 allowing local unauthorized attackers to gain access to sensitive information due to the absence of proper. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NCP Secure Enterprise Client 13.18 and NCP Secure Entry Windows Client 13.19 have an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability. 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.
In Splunk Add-on for Palo Alto Networks versions below 2.0.2, the add-on exposes client secrets in plain text in the _internal index during the addition of new “Data Security Accounts“. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The users endpoint in the groov View API returns a list of all users and associated metadata including their API keys. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure permissions in fail2ban-client v0.11.2 allows attackers with limited sudo privileges to perform arbitrary operations as root. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: This CVE ID was duplicated of CVE-2025-32801. No vendor patch available.
The Houzez theme for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 4.1.6 via deserialization of untrusted input in saved-search-item.php. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in ASR1903、ASR3901 in ASR Lapwing_Linux on Linux (nr_fw modules). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In KDE Skanpage before 25.08.0, an attempt at file overwrite can result in the contents of the new file at the beginning followed by the partial contents of the old file at the end, because of use of. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.2), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Smart Video Doorbell firmware versions prior to 2.01.078 contain an active debug code vulnerability that allows an attacker to connect via Telnet and gain access to the device. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion (patch_contents.php) in DB Electronica Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion (upgrade_contents.php) in DB Electronica Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Out-of-bounds read in Application Gateway allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Core Bot Is an Open Source discord bot made for maple hospital servers. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
NanoMQ MQTT Broker (NanoMQ) is an all-around Edge Messaging Platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
WebAssembly Micro Runtime (WAMR) is a lightweight standalone WebAssembly (Wasm) runtime. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
CGGMP24 is a state-of-art ECDSA TSS protocol that supports 1-round signing (requires 3 preprocessing rounds), identifiable abort, and a key refresh protocol. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
CGGMP24 is a state-of-art ECDSA TSS protocol that supports 1-round signing (requires 3 preprocessing rounds), identifiable abort, and a key refresh protocol. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Grype is a vulnerability scanner for container images and filesystems. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) in the Track order function in PHPGURUKUL Online Shopping Portal 2.1 allows information disclosure via the oid parameter. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Contao is an Open Source CMS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
UnForm Server versions < 10.1.15 contain an unauthenticated arbitrary file read and SMB coercion vulnerability in the Doc Flow feature’s 'arc' endpoint. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA NeMo Framework for all platforms contains a vulnerability in the NLP and LLM components, where malicious data created by an attacker could cause code injection. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit UI for Web contains a vulnerability in the chat API endpoint where an attacker may cause a Server-Side Request Forgery. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause a resource to be reused. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause incorrect control flow behavior. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause a resource to be reused. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause a resource to be reused. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause improper processing of input data. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause improper validation of integrity. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT firmware, where an attacker could cause an out-of-bound write. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in hardware resources where an attacker could tamper with hardware controls. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA DGX Spark GB10 contains a vulnerability in SROOT, where an attacker could use privileged access to gain access to SoC protected areas. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Primakon Pi Portal 1.0.18 /api/v2/users endpoint is vulnerable to unauthorized data exposure due to deficient access control mechanisms. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Syrotech SY-GPON-1110-WDONT SYRO_3.7L_3.1.02-240517 allowing attackers to exctract the SSL Private Key, CA Certificate, SSL Certificate, and Client Certificates in .pem. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator and IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.0.0.0 through 6.1.2.7 and 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.5 and 6.2.1.1 could disclose sensitive information due to a missing or insecure SameSite. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An integer underflow vulnerability has been identified in Aicloud. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in WebKitGTK and WPE WebKit. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The atec Duplicate Page & Post plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized post duplication due to missing authorization validation on the duplicate_post() function in all versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The AI Engine for WordPress: ChatGPT, GPT Content Generator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Locker Content plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in version 1.0.0 via the 'lockerco_submit_post' AJAX endpoint. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
MongoDB Server may experience an invariant failure during batched delete operations when handling documents. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
"FOD" App uses hard-coded cryptographic keys, which may allow a local unauthenticated attacker to retrieve the cryptographic keys. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inconsistent object size validation in time series processing logic may result in later processing of oversized BSON documents leading to an assert failing and process termination. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Clients may successfully perform a TLS handshake with a MongoDB server despite presenting a client certificate not aligning with the documented Extended Key Usage (EKU) requirements. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: Not used. No vendor patch available.
Inside Track / Entropy Derby is a research-grade horse-racing betting engine. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sentry-Javascript is an official Sentry SDKs for JavaScript. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is 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.
LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is 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.
An Incorrect Access Control vulnerability was found in the Application Server of Desktop Alert PingAlert version 6.1.0.11 to 6.1.1.2 which allows Incorrect Access Control, leading to Remote. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In RSA Authentication Agent before 7.4.7, service paths and shortcut paths may be vulnerable to path interception if the path has one or more spaces and is not surrounded by quotation marks. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Concert 1.0.0 through 2.0.0 uses weaker than expected cryptographic algorithms that could allow an attacker to decrypt highly sensitive information. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Inadequate lock protection within Xilinx Run time may allow a local attacker to trigger a Use-After-Free condition potentially resulting in loss of confidentiality or availability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Cinnamon kotaemon 0.11.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator and IBM Sterling File Gateway 6.0.0.0 through 6.1.2.7 and 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.5 and 6.2.1.1 could reveal sensitive server IP configuration information to an unauthorized. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
MILLENSYS Vision Tools Workspace 6.5.0.2585 exposes a sensitive configuration endpoint (/MILLENSYS/settings) that is accessible without authentication. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: ** REJECT ** DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: ** REJECT ** DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. No vendor patch available.
An issue in Austrian Academy of Sciences (AW) Austrian Archaeological Institute OpenAtlas v.8.12.0 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the login error messages. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A firmware downgrade vulnerability exists in the OTA Update functionality of GL-Inet GL-AXT1800 4.7.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: ** REJECT ** DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. No vendor patch available.
Rejected reason: ** REJECT ** DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. No vendor patch available.
Apache Syncope can be configured to store the user password values in the internal database with AES encryption, though this is not the default option. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.