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 (71028)
The iwgif_record_pixel function in imagew-gif.c in libimageworsener.a in ImageWorsener 1.3.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read) via a crafted file. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), 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.
In libxslt 1.1.29 and earlier, the EXSLT math.random function was not initialized with a random seed during startup, which could cause usage of this function to produce predictable outputs. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
In Veritas System Recovery before 16 SP1, there is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in the patch installer if an attacker has write access to the directory from which the product is executed. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
apt-cacher before 1.7.15 and apt-cacher-ng before 3.4 allow HTTP response splitting via encoded newline characters, related to lack of blocking for the %0[ad] regular expression. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server before 9.0.55 and 10.0.2 suffers from a Content-Spoofing vulnerability in the "files" app. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server before 9.0.55 and 10.0.2 suffers from a error message disclosing existence of file in write-only share. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server before 9.0.55 and 10.0.2 suffers from a creation of folders in read-only folders despite lacking permissions issue. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server before 9.0.55 and 10.0.2 suffers from a permission increase on re-sharing via OCS API issue. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
The IBM TRIRIGA Document Manager contains a vulnerability that could allow an authenticated user to execute actions they did not have access to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
FreeRADIUS 2.2.x before 2.2.8 and 3.0.x before 3.0.9 does not properly check revocation of intermediate CA certificates. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
coders/sun.c in ImageMagick allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds access) via a crafted sun file. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), 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.
Multiple Access Control issues in Trend Micro InterScan Web Security Virtual Appliance (IWSVA) 6.5 before CP 1746 allow an authenticated, remote user with low privileges like 'Reports Only' or. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
An information disclosure vulnerability in the NVIDIA crypto driver could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
An information disclosure vulnerability in the NVIDIA crypto driver could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
Apache Geode before 1.1.1, when a cluster has enabled security by setting the security-manager property, allows remote authenticated users with CLUSTER:READ but not DATA:READ permission to access the. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive data that should not be disclosed.
OpenFlow plugin for OpenDaylight before Helium SR3 allows remote attackers to spoof the SDN topology and affect the flow of data, related to the reuse of LLDP packets, aka "LLDP Relay.". Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Riverbed RiOS before 9.0.1 does not properly restrict shell access in single-user mode, which makes it easier for physically proximate attackers to obtain root privileges and access decrypted data by. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Riverbed RiOS through 9.6.0 has a weak default password for the secure vault, which makes it easier for physically proximate attackers to defeat the secure-vault protection mechanism by leveraging. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Riverbed RiOS through 9.6.0 does not require a bootloader password, which makes it easier for physically proximate attackers to defeat the secure-vault protection mechanism via a crafted boot. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Riverbed RiOS through 9.6.0 deletes the secure vault with the rm program (not shred or srm), which makes it easier for physically proximate attackers to obtain sensitive information by reading raw. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue (known as XSA-212) was discovered in Xen, with fixes available for 4.8.x, 4.7.x, 4.6.x, 4.5.x, and 4.4.x. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
The Go SSH library (x/crypto/ssh) by default does not verify host keys, facilitating man-in-the-middle attacks. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required.
NixOS 17.03 before 17.03.887 has a world-writable Docker socket, which allows local users to gain privileges by executing docker commands. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Technicolor TC7200 with firmware STD6.01.12 could allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 28.1%.
Pulp before 2.3.0 uses the same the same certificate authority key and certificate for all installations. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The PoDoFo::PdfSimpleEncoding::ConvertToEncoding function in PdfEncoding.cpp in PoDoFo 0.9.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The PoDoFo::PdfPainter::ExpandTabs function in PdfPainter.cpp in PoDoFo 0.9.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash) via a crafted. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
libyara/grammar.y in YARA 3.5.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based out-of-bounds read and application crash) via a crafted rule that is mishandled in the yara_yyparse. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Jensen of Scandinavia AS Air:Link 3G (AL3G) version 2.23m (Rev. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
JavaScriptCore in WebKit, as distributed in Safari Technology Preview Release 18, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (bitfield out-of-bounds read and application crash) via crafted. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The register_routes function in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php in the REST API in WordPress 4.7.x before 4.7.2 does not require an integer identifier, which allows. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 78.9%.
Huawei AR3200 with software V200R007C00, V200R005C32, V200R005C20; S12700 with software V200R008C00, V200R007C00; S5300 with software V200R008C00, V200R007C00, V200R006C00; S5700 with software. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei USG9520 V300R001C01, USG9560 V300R001C01, and USG9580 V300R001C01 allow unauthenticated attackers to send abnormal DHCP request packets to the affected products to trigger a DoS condition. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Secospace USG6300 with software V500R001C20 and V500R001C20SPC200PWE, Secospace USG6500 with software V500R001C20, Secospace USG6600 with software V500R001C20 and V500R001C20SPC200PWE allow. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei FusionAccess with software V100R005C10 and V100R005C20 could allow remote attackers with specific permission to inject a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) operation command into a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The TrustZone driver in Huawei P9 phones with software Versions earlier than EVA-AL10C00B352 and P9 Lite with software VNS-L21C185B130 and earlier versions and P8 Lite with software ALE-L02C636B150. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
The TrustZone driver in Huawei P9 phones with software Versions earlier than EVA-AL10C00B352 and P9 Lite with software VNS-L21C185B130 and earlier versions and P8 Lite with software ALE-L02C636B150. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The TrustZone driver in Huawei P9 phones with software Versions earlier than EVA-AL10C00B352 and P9 Lite with software VNS-L21C185B130 and earlier versions and P8 Lite with software ALE-L02C636B150. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ION memory management module in Huawei P9 phones with software EVA-AL10C00B192 and earlier versions, EVA-DL10C00B192 and earlier versions, EVA-TL10C00B192 and earlier versions, EVA-CL10C00B192 and. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei AnyOffice V200R006C00 could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause the software to deny services by uploading an XML bomb. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei PC client software HiSuite 4.0.5.300_OVE uses insecure HTTP for upgrade software package download and does not check the integrity of the software package before installing; an attacker can. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei PC client software HiSuite 4.0.5.300_OVE has an information leak vulnerability; an attacker who can log in to the system can copy out the user's proxy password, causing information leaks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei eSpace IAD V300R002C01SPC100 and earlier versions have an information leak vulnerability; an attacker can check and download the fault information by accessing a special URL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei FusionAccess with software V100R005C10,V100R005C20 could allow attackers to craft and send a malformed HDP protocol packet to cause the virtual cloud desktop to be displaying an error and not. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The MeWidget module on Huawei P7 smartphones with software P7-L10 V100R001C00B136 and earlier versions could lead to the disclosure of contact information. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Tecal RH1288 V2 V100R002C00SPC107 and earlier versions, Tecal RH2265 V2 V100R002C00, Tecal RH2285 V2 V100R002C00SPC115 and earlier versions, Tecal RH2265 V2 V100R002C00, Tecal RH2285H V2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Tecal RH1288 V2 V100R002C00SPC107 and earlier versions, Tecal RH2265 V2 V100R002C00, Tecal RH2285 V2 V100R002C00SPC115 and earlier versions, Tecal RH2265 V2 V100R002C00, Tecal RH2285H V2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei home gateways WS318 with software V100R001C01B022 and earlier versions are affected by the PIN offline brute force cracking vulnerability of the WPS protocol because the random number. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei S9300, S9303, S9306, S9312 with software V100R002; S7700, S7703, S7706, S7712 with software V100R003, V100R006, V200R001, V200R002, V200R003, V200R005; S9300E, S9303E, S9306E, S9312E with. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Quidway S9700 V200R003C00SPC500, Quidway S9300 V200R003C00SPC500, Quidway S7700 V200R003C00SPC500, Quidway S6700 V200R003C00SPC300, Quidway S6300 V200R003C00SPC300, Quidway S5700. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei S9300 with software before V100R006SPH013 and S2300,S3300,S5300,S6300 with software before V100R006SPH010 support Y.1731 and therefore have the Y.1731 vulnerability in processing special. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Eudemon8000E firewall with software V200R001C01SPC800 and earlier versions allows users to log in to the device using Telnet or SSH. 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 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. Public exploit code available and 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 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 medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 19.1%.
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. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 24.7%.
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 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 7.1), 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 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. 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. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 12.4%.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), 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 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated 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 7.1), 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 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated 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 low severity (CVSS 2.4), 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 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 low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. 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 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, 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. 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. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 12.4%.
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In TigerVNC 1.7.1 (CConnection.cxx CConnection::CConnection), an unauthenticated client can cause a small memory leak in the server. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
In TigerVNC 1.7.1 (SSecurityVeNCrypt.cxx SSecurityVeNCrypt::SSecurityVeNCrypt), an unauthenticated client can cause a small memory leak in the server. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform 3.3, 3,4, and 3,5 contain a vulnerability that could allow an authenticated user to execute Application actions they do not have access to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
IBM Algorithmics One-Algo Risk Application 4.9.1, 5.0, and 5.1.0 could allow a user to gain access to files in the local environment which should not be viewed by application users. 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.
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 15.020.20042 and earlier, 15.006.30244 and earlier, 11.0.18 and earlier have an exploitable buffer overflow vulnerability in the JPEG2000 parser. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.