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 (71012)
Under certain conditions, SAP Business One, 9.2, 9.3, for SAP HANA backup service allows an attacker to access information which would otherwise be restricted. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
SAP UI5 did not validate user input before adding it to the DOM structure. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in mruby 1.4.1. 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.
ovirt-engine up to version 4.2.3 is vulnerable to an unfiltered password when choosing manual db provisioning. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Asterisk Open Source 13.x before 13.21.1, 14.x before 14.7.7, and 15.x before 15.4.1 and Certified Asterisk 13.18-cert before 13.18-cert4 and 13.21-cert before 13.21-cert2. 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.
Plaintext of decrypted emails can leak through by user submitting an embedded form. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Using remote content in encrypted messages can lead to the disclosure of plaintext. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If a text string that happens to be a filename in the operating system's native format is dragged and dropped onto the addressbar the specified local file will be opened. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If a URL using the "file:" protocol is dragged and dropped onto an open tab that is running in a different child process the tab will open a local file corresponding to the dropped URL, contrary to. 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 JSON Viewer displays clickable hyperlinks for strings that are parseable as URLs, including "javascript:" links. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, Windows Defender SmartScreen honors the "SEE_MASK_FLAG_NO_UI" flag associated with downloaded files and will not show any UI. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The filename appearing in the "Downloads" panel improperly renders some Unicode characters, allowing for the file name to be spoofed. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
It is possible to spoof the filename of an attachment and display an arbitrary attachment name. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If manipulated hyperlinked text with "chrome:" URL contained in it is dragged and dropped on the "home" icon, the home page can be reset to include a normally-unlinkable chrome page as one of the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The web console and JavaScript debugger do not sanitize all output that can be hyperlinked. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In 32-bit versions of Firefox, the Adobe Flash plugin setting for "Enable Adobe Flash protected mode" is unchecked by default even though the Adobe Flash sandbox is actually enabled. 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.
If a malicious attacker has used another vulnerability to gain full control over a content process, they may be able to replace the alternate data resources stored in the JavaScript Start-up Bytecode. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Plaintext of decrypted emails can leak through the src attribute of remote images, or links. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Crafted message headers can cause a Thunderbird process to hang on receiving the message. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Same-origin protections for the PDF viewer can be bypassed, allowing a malicious site to intercept messages meant for the viewer. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If websocket data is sent with mixed text and binary in a single message, the binary data can be corrupted. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
WebExtensions with the appropriate permissions can attach content scripts to Mozilla sites such as accounts.firefox.com and listen to network traffic to the site through the "webRequest" API. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
If Media Capture and Streams API permission is requested from documents with "data:" or "blob:" URLs, the permission notifications do not properly display the originating domain. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Image for moz-icons can be accessed through the "moz-icon:" protocol through script in web content even when otherwise prohibited. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A spoofing vulnerability can occur when a malicious site with an extremely long domain name is opened in an Android Custom Tab (a browser panel inside another app) and the default browser is Firefox. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A legacy extension's non-contentaccessible, defined resources can be loaded by an arbitrary web page through script. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
WebExtensions may use "view-source:" URLs to view local "file:" URL content, as well as content stored in "about:cache", bypassing restrictions that only allow WebExtensions to view specific content. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If the "app.support.baseURL" preference is changed by a malicious local program to contain HTML and script content, this content is not sanitized. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Find API for WebExtensions can search some privileged pages, such as "about:debugging", if these pages are open in a tab. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Under certain circumstances the "fetch()" API can return transient local copies of resources that were sent with a "no-store" or "no-cache" cache header instead of downloading a copy from the network. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Low descenders on some Tibetan characters in several fonts on OS X are clipped when rendered in the addressbar. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The reader view will display cross-origin content when CORS headers are set to prohibit the loading of cross-origin content by a site. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The screenshot images displayed in the Activity Stream page displayed when a new tab is opened is created from the meta tags of websites. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If right-to-left text is used in the addressbar with left-to-right alignment, it is possible in some circumstances to scroll this text to spoof the displayed URL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
If an HTTP authentication prompt is triggered by a background network request from a page or extension, it is displayed over the currently loaded foreground page. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If an existing cookie is changed to be "HttpOnly" while a document is open, the original value remains accessible through script until that document is closed. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Development Tools panels of an extension are required to load URLs for the panels as relative URLs from the extension manifest file but this requirement was not enforced in all instances. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
When the text of a specially formatted URL is dragged to the addressbar from page content, the displayed URL can be spoofed to show a different site than the one loaded. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
If cursor visibility is toggled by script using from 'none' to an image and back through script, the cursor will be rendered temporarily invisible within Firefox. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An audio capture session can started under an incorrect origin from the site making the capture request. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A Blob URL can violate origin attribute segregation, allowing it to be accessed from a private browsing tab and for data to be passed between the private browsing tab and a normal tab. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Style editor traffic in the Developer Tools can be routed through a service worker hosted on a third party website if a user selects error links when these tools are open. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A use-after-free vulnerability can occur when the thread for a Web Worker is freed from memory prematurely instead of from memory in the main thread while cancelling fetch operations. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
tinyexr 0.9.5 has a memory leak in ParseEXRHeaderFromMemory in tinyexr.h. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
tinyexr 0.9.5 has a heap-based buffer over-read in tinyexr::DecodePixelData in tinyexr.h, related to OpenEXR code. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Octopus Deploy version 2018.5.1 to 2018.5.7, a user with Task View is able to view a password for a Service Fabric Cluster, when the Service Fabric Cluster target is configured in Azure Active. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
The do_core_note function in readelf.c in libmagic.a in file 5.33 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and application crash) via a crafted ELF file. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
mainproc.c in GnuPG before 2.2.8 mishandles the original filename during decryption and verification actions, which allows remote attackers to spoof the output that GnuPG sends on file descriptor 2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The clustered setup of Apache MXNet allows users to specify which IP address and port the scheduler will listen on via the DMLC_PS_ROOT_URI and DMLC_PS_ROOT_PORT env variables. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), 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 was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), 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 certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A out-of-bounds read information disclosure vulnerability in Trend Micro OfficeScan 11.0 SP1 and XG could allow a local attacker to disclose sensitive information on vulnerable installations due to a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7).
Unverified password change vulnerability in Change Password in Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) before 6.2-23739 allows remote authenticated users to reset password without verification. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A Local File Inclusion vulnerability in /system/WCore/WHelper.php in Creatiwity wityCMS 0.6.2 allows remote attackers to include local PHP files (execute PHP code) or read non-PHP files by replacing. 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.
tinyexr 0.9.5 has a heap-based buffer over-read via tinyexr::ReadChannelInfo in tinyexr.h. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Splunk through 7.0.1 allows information disclosure by appending __raw/services/server/info/server-info?output_mode=json to a query, as demonstrated by discovering a license key. 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.
DedeCMS through 5.7SP2 allows arbitrary file write in dede/file_manage_control.php via a dede/file_manage_view.php?fmdo=newfile request with name and str parameters, as demonstrated by writing to a. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered on the MediaTek AWUS036NH wireless USB adapter through 5.1.25.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web UI of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-frame scripting (XFS) attack against the user of. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the role-based access-checking mechanisms of Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on an affected. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web portal authentication process of Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning could allow an unauthenticated, local attacker to view sensitive data. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web management interface of Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning (PCP) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to modify sensitive data that is associated with. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to access services running on internal device interfaces of an affected system. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
defaults-deep node module before 0.2.4 suffers from a Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID) vulnerability, which allows a malicious user to modify the prototype of "Object" via __proto__,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
merge-deep node module before 3.0.1 suffers from a Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID) vulnerability, which allows a malicious user to modify the prototype of "Object" via __proto__,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
lodash node module before 4.17.5 suffers from a Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID) vulnerability via defaultsDeep, merge, and mergeWith functions, which allows a malicious user to modify. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
assign-deep node module before 0.4.7 suffers from a Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID) vulnerability, which allows a malicious user to modify the prototype of "Object" via __proto__,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
mixin-deep node module before 1.3.1 suffers from a Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID) vulnerability, which allows a malicious user to modify the prototype of "Object" via __proto__,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
serve node module suffers from Improper Handling of URL Encoding by permitting access to ignored files if a filename is URL encoded. 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.