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 (73901)
Cisco Secure Firewall ASA and Secure FTD devices can be remotely rebooted by unauthenticated attackers through malformed SAML 2.0 authentication messages, causing service unavailability due to insufficient input validation. The vulnerability has a high attack surface as it requires no authentication or user interaction and affects the device's core authentication mechanism. No patch is currently available.
Memory exhaustion in Cisco Secure Firewall ASA and FTD IKEv2 implementations allows authenticated remote attackers with valid VPN credentials to trigger device reloads by sending crafted packets, disrupting firewall availability and downstream network services. The vulnerability stems from improper IKEv2 packet processing that fails to constrain memory allocation. No patch is currently available.
The Linux kernel fbdev smscufx driver fails to properly copy user-supplied data to kernel memory in the UFX_IOCTL_REPORT_DAMAGE ioctl handler, instead directly referencing userspace memory which can be manipulated or invalidated. A local attacker with appropriate privileges can exploit this to cause a denial of service by triggering kernel memory access violations or crashes. No patch is currently available for this medium-severity vulnerability.
Local privilege escalation in Linux kernel f2fs sysfs attributes allows unprivileged users to trigger out-of-bounds memory access and cause denial of service by writing oversized integer values to filesystem control interfaces. The vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking when mapping sysfs attributes to kernel structures of varying integer sizes, enabling attackers to corrupt kernel memory and crash the system. No patch is currently available for this vulnerability.
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's f2fs filesystem allows a local attacker with user privileges to trigger memory corruption and crash the system through a race condition between I/O completion and filesystem unmount operations. The vulnerability occurs when a loop device completes write operations concurrently with an unmount that frees filesystem structures still being accessed by pending I/O handlers. This issue has no available patch and requires kernel-level access to exploit.
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's netfilter nf_tables chain registration allows local attackers with user privileges to trigger memory corruption and cause a denial of service, potentially leading to privilege escalation. The flaw occurs when hook registration fails during chain addition, allowing concurrent operations to access freed memory without proper RCU synchronization. The vulnerability affects systems running vulnerable Linux kernels with netfilter enabled, and no patch is currently available.
SEPPmail Secure Email Gateway versions prior to 15.0.1 fail to properly isolate decrypted PGP message content from surrounding plaintext, enabling attackers to access encrypted sensitive information over the network without authentication. This high-severity flaw affects organizations relying on SEPPmail for secure email handling and exposes confidential data despite encryption protections. No patch is currently available for this vulnerability.
SEPPmail Secure Email Gateway versions before 15.0.1 misinterpret email addresses in message headers, enabling attackers to spoof sender identities or decrypt encrypted communications due to inconsistent header parsing with standard mail infrastructure. This unauthenticated network-based vulnerability affects all default installations with no available patch, presenting significant risk to organizations relying on the gateway for email security.
Unauthenticated disclosure of WordPress user email addresses in Mail Mint plugin versions before 1.19.5 through an unprotected REST API endpoint allows remote attackers to enumerate users without authentication. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability, and no patch is currently available. This affects all installations of the Mail Mint plugin below the patched version.
Behavioral control bypass in Devolutions Server 2025.3.15 allows authenticated users to exploit delete permissions.
Insecure password saving enforcement in Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager 2025.3.
Information disclosure in OpenEMR 5.0.2 to before 8.0.0 exposes sensitive data. PoC and patch available.
Unauthenticated token disclosure in OpenEMR before 8.0.0. CVSS 10.0. PoC and patch available.
Default admin credentials in OpenMQ message broker. Shipped with known default admin password.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation MELSEC iQ-F Series FX5-ENET/IP Ethernet Module FX5-ENET/IP all is affected by improper resource shutdown or release.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation MELSEC iQ-F Series FX5-EIP EtherNet/IP Module FX5-EIP all is affected by improper resource shutdown or release.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation MELSEC iQ-F Series FX5-ENET/IP Ethernet Module FX5-ENET/IP is affected by always-incorrect control flow implementation.
Page Builder by SiteOrigin (WordPress plugin) versions up to 2.33.5 is affected by path traversal (CVSS 8.8).
Out-of-bounds read in Exiv2's CRW image parser allows remote attackers to cause denial of service and potentially disclose sensitive memory contents through crafted image files. Versions prior to 0.28.8 are affected, and public exploit code exists for this vulnerability. A patch is available that administrators should deploy immediately to prevent exploitation.
ZimaOS 1.5.2-beta3 lacks proper path validation in its API, allowing authenticated users to bypass frontend restrictions and write files to protected system directories such as /etc and /usr. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability, enabling attackers with valid credentials to modify critical OS files and potentially achieve code execution. No patch is currently available.
Integer overflow in pillow_heif Python library before 1.3.0 leads to out-of-bounds read when processing HEIF images, potentially causing information disclosure or crashes. PoC and patch available.
Seerr is an open-source media request and discovery manager for Jellyfin, Plex, and Emby. [CVSS 7.3 HIGH]
Sl902-Swtgw124As Firmware versions up to 200.1.20 contains a vulnerability that allows attackers to change account passwords without verifying the current password (CVSS 7.1).
Default credentials in SODOLA SL902-SWTGW124AS network switch firmware allow unauthenticated remote access. Default credentials are publicly known, enabling complete device takeover.
Input validation vulnerability in Centreon Open Tickets module allows authenticated attackers to manipulate ticket data, potentially affecting monitored infrastructure integrity.
Unauthenticated RCE and information disclosure via Local File Inclusion in Johnson Controls Frick Controls. Fifth critical vulnerability in the product line, enabling arbitrary file reads and code execution.
Multiple IpTIME router firmware versions (T5008, AX2004M, AX3000Q, AX6000M) through 15.26.8 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability that exposes sensitive information to unauthenticated remote attackers. An attacker can leverage this flaw to access confidential device data without valid credentials. No patch is currently available for affected devices.
Unauthenticated access to uploaded files in Initiative project management platform prior to version 0.32.2 allows remote attackers to retrieve sensitive documents by directly accessing the unprotected /uploads/ directory. The vulnerability stems from missing authentication and authorization controls on file serving, enabling disclosure of confidential project data without requiring any credentials. Initiative versions 0.32.2 and later contain patches to restrict access to uploaded documents.
Initiative project management platform versions before 0.32.4 fail to revoke JWT tokens when users change their passwords, allowing authenticated attackers with knowledge of old credentials to maintain API access through unexpired tokens. An attacker can exploit this to access protected endpoints and sensitive project data even after legitimate password changes. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability.
Hoppscotch prior to version 2026.2.0 contains authorization bypass vulnerabilities in its environment management APIs that allow any authenticated user to read, modify, or delete other users' environments without ownership validation. The affected mutations lack proper user identity verification, enabling attackers to access stored API keys, authentication tokens, and secrets contained within targeted environments. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability and no patch is currently available.
Information disclosure in EverShop e-commerce platform before 2.1.1 through the Forgot Password functionality. API responses reveal sensitive information when invalid data is submitted.
Discourse versions prior to 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0 contain an insecure direct object reference (IDOR) in the directory items endpoint that allows unauthenticated attackers to retrieve private user field values for all directory users. The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks on the user_field_ids parameter, enabling bulk exfiltration of sensitive user data that should be restricted by visibility settings. No patch is currently available for affected deployments.
s standard encoding/json.Unmarshal for JSON-RPC and MCP protocol message parsing in versions up to 1.3.1. contains a security vulnerability.
Weak password policy in Vikunja task management before 2.0.0 allows users to set trivially guessable passwords. PoC available.
FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol. [CVSS 7.5 HIGH]
Misconfigured firewall rules in Meraki MR9600 (1.0.4.205530) and MX4200 (1.0.13.210200) routers accept WAN connections on source port 5222, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to access services normally restricted to the local network. An attacker can leverage this to gain unauthorized access to sensitive internal services and information. No patch is currently available to remediate this vulnerability.
Incorrect permission assignment on critical resources in Juniper Networks On-Box Anomaly detection framework. Allows unauthorized modification of anomaly detection configuration, potentially disabling security monitoring.
Remote code execution in mchange-commons-java prior to 0.4.0 allows an attacker to download and run arbitrary Java code by forcing an application to dereference a malicious javax.naming.Reference or serialized object that specifies a remote factoryClassLocation. The library ships its own legacy JNDI dereferencing implementation, so applications using it (notably the c3p0 connection pool) remain exploitable even on JDKs hardened with com.sun.jndi.ldap.object.trustURLCodebase=false. Publicly available exploit code exists (Mogwai Labs c3p0 research), though EPSS is low (0.10%, 27th percentile) and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV.
Insufficient filesystem access controls in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager expose sensitive operating system information to authenticated remote attackers through API access. An attacker with valid credentials can exploit this vulnerability to read confidential data from the underlying system without requiring user interaction. No patch is currently available for this medium-severity information disclosure vulnerability.
Privilege escalation in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (versions prior to 20.18) enables authenticated local attackers with valid vmanage credentials to obtain Data Collection Agent (DCA) user privileges by reading an unprotected credential file from the filesystem. Confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV) with publicly available exploit code despite low EPSS score (0.02%), indicating targeted attacks rather than widespread scanning. High-privileged initial access requirement (PR:H) and high attack complexity (AC:H) limit exploitability, but scope change (S:C) enables lateral movement to other SD-WAN systems.
Catalyst Sd-Wan Manager contains a vulnerability that allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary files on the affected system and gain vmanage user priv (CVSS 5.4).
Improper RSA signature validation in Ethereum Name Service (ENS) versions 1.6.2 and earlier allows attackers to forge DNS signatures for domains under .cc and .name TLDs, enabling unauthorized domain claims on ENS without actual DNS ownership. The vulnerability exploits Bleichenbacher's 2006 attack against RSA keys with low public exponents (e=3), which are used by these two TLDs' Key Signing Keys. No patch is currently available, leaving affected domains vulnerable to takeover attacks.
Privilege escalation via cache key collision in Parse Dashboard (npm parse-dashboard) versions 7.3.0-alpha.42 through 9.0.0-alpha.7 allows an authenticated read-only user to obtain the full master key. The flaw lives in ConfigKeyCache, which reuses one cache entry for both the master key and the read-only master key when those keys are function-typed; under a timing race a read-only session can read back the cached full master key (or a regular user the read-only key). Exploitation requires an authenticated dashboard session and a non-default configuration (function-typed keys plus the agent block); no public exploit identified at time of analysis and EPSS is low (0.05%), but the GitHub Security Advisory and patch commit confirm the issue.
Binardat 10G08-0800GSM network switch firmware versions before V300SP10260209 expose user credentials by storing passwords as reversible Base64-encoded values in web interface cookies, allowing unauthenticated attackers with cookie access to recover plaintext passwords. This high-severity vulnerability affects confidentiality of administrative credentials with no available patch, creating significant risk for network infrastructure compromise.
Binardat 10G08-0800GSM network switches version V300SP10260209 and earlier expose a hardcoded RC4 encryption key in client-side JavaScript, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to decrypt sensitive configuration data and compromise network confidentiality. The static key weakness eliminates the intended cryptographic protection for protected values transmitted to and from the device.
Binardat 10G08-0800GSM network switch firmware prior to V300SP10260209 stores administrative credentials in plaintext within the web interface and HTTP responses, enabling unauthenticated attackers to extract valid user passwords. This information disclosure vulnerability affects network administrators and can lead to unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure. No patch is currently available.
Predictable session identifiers in Binardat 10G08-0800GSM network switch. Numeric session IDs are easily guessable, enabling session hijacking.
Actual is a local-first personal finance tool. [CVSS 7.5 HIGH]
Uninitialized memory read in Firefox Graphics Text component before 148. Text rendering may expose uninitialized memory contents.
Invalid pointer in Firefox DOM Core & HTML before 148. Incorrect pointer computation leads to memory access errors.
The Settings UI component in Firefox and Thunderbird versions prior to 148 fails to properly restrict access to sensitive configuration data, enabling unauthenticated attackers to remotely disclose confidential information without user interaction. This vulnerability bypasses existing security mitigations designed to protect user settings and preferences. No patch is currently available for affected users.
Improper boundary condition handling in the JavaScript/WebAssembly engine of Firefox and Thunderbird before version 148 enables remote denial of service attacks without requiring user interaction or privileges. An attacker can crash affected applications or cause service unavailability by sending specially crafted content. No patch is currently available.
Use-after-free in Firefox DOM Core & HTML before 148. DOM object lifecycle error.
A use-after-free vulnerability in Firefox and Thunderbird's DOM processing allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through a malicious webpage or email attachment, requiring only user interaction to trigger. This affects Firefox versions below 148 and Thunderbird versions below 148, with no patch currently available.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript GC before 148. Second GC UAF, different from CVE-2026-2795.
JIT miscompilation in Firefox WebAssembly before 148. The JIT compiler generates incorrect Wasm code, enabling type confusion. PoC available.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript GC component before 148. GC-specific UAF affecting only mainline Firefox and Thunderbird.
Uninitialized memory in Firefox and Firefox Focus for Android versions prior to 148 enables remote attackers to read sensitive data without authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability allows information disclosure through memory that was not properly cleared before use, potentially exposing confidential user information to network-based attackers.
Use-after-free in Firefox ImageLib graphics component before 148. Image processing triggers use of freed memory.
Use-after-free in Firefox DOM Window and Location component before 148. Window/Location lifecycle management error.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript Engine before 148. Fourth distinct JS engine UAF in this release.
Invalid pointer in Firefox JavaScript Engine before 148. Incorrect pointer computation leads to memory corruption.
Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive information from Firefox and Thunderbird users through a JavaScript engine JIT compilation flaw, affecting all versions prior to Firefox 148, Firefox ESR 140.8, Thunderbird 148, and Thunderbird 140.8. The vulnerability requires no user interaction and can be exploited remotely over the network. No patch is currently available for this high-severity flaw.
Use-after-free in Firefox Audio/Video Playback component before 148. Media playback triggers memory corruption.
Undefined behavior in Firefox DOM Core & HTML component before 148. Can lead to memory corruption and potential code execution.
Use-after-free in Firefox DOM Bindings (WebIDL) component before 148. Memory corruption in the interface between JavaScript and native DOM objects.
A use-after-free vulnerability in the IndexedDB storage component of Firefox and Thunderbird allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution through user interaction. Affected versions include Firefox below 148, Firefox ESR below 115.33 and 140.8, and Thunderbird below 148 and 140.8. No patch is currently available for this high-severity flaw.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript WebAssembly component before 148. WebAssembly-specific memory management bug.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript JIT compiler before 148. Second JIT-related UAF in this release, different from CVE-2026-2764.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript Engine before 148 and Thunderbird ESR 140.8. Separate UAF from CVE-2026-2763 and CVE-2026-2758.
JIT miscompilation causing use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript JIT compiler before 148. JIT bugs are highly exploitable due to their deterministic nature.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript Engine before 148. One of multiple JS engine UAFs fixed in this release.
Second sandbox escape in Firefox WebRender component. CVSS 10.0 — independent path from CVE-2026-2760 to escape the content process sandbox.
Sandbox escape via boundary violation in Firefox WebRender graphics component. CVSS 10.0 — allows escaping the content sandbox to execute code with elevated privileges.
Boundary violation in Firefox ImageLib graphics component before 148 enables memory corruption through crafted images.
Use-after-free in Firefox JavaScript garbage collector before 148 allows remote code execution through crafted JavaScript.
Boundary violation in Firefox WebRTC Audio/Video component before 148 allows remote code execution through crafted WebRTC media streams.
Address bar spoofing in Firefox before 148 allows malicious scripts to desynchronize the displayed URL from actual web content before receiving a response, enabling phishing attacks.
Improper access control in REB500 firmware allows authenticated users with low privileges to read and modify unauthorized directories via the DAC protocol. An attacker with valid credentials can escalate their file system access beyond their intended permissions, potentially compromising sensitive data or system integrity. No patch is currently available for this vulnerability.
Authenticated users with Installer role in REB500 firmware can bypass directory access controls to read and modify files outside their authorized scope. This privilege escalation affects systems where installer accounts are provisioned, enabling unauthorized data access and manipulation. No patch is currently available.
Denial of service in ImageMagick prior to 7.1.2-15 stems from a memory leak in the WriteASHLARImage function within coders/ashlar.c, where an allocated structure is not released when an exception is thrown during ASHLAR image encoding. Remote attackers who can submit images for processing can trigger repeated leaks to exhaust process memory in long-running services that embed ImageMagick. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and EPSS risk is negligible at 0.05% (16th percentile).
Heap memory disclosure in ImageMagick's PSD file parser allows unauthenticated remote attackers to leak sensitive information from process memory by crafting malicious Photoshop files with improperly compressed layer data. Affected versions prior to 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40 fail to properly validate decompressed data sizes, exposing uninitialized heap contents in generated output images. No patch is currently available for this vulnerability.
Out-of-bounds read in Valkey clusterbus port processing allows network-adjacent attackers to crash affected systems by sending specially crafted packets that bypass buffer validation checks. This vulnerability affects Valkey versions prior to 9.0.2, 8.1.6, 8.0.7, and 7.2.12, impacting any deployment exposing the clusterbus port to untrusted networks. Patches are available and administrators should restrict clusterbus access with network ACLs as an immediate mitigation.
CollabPlatform's misconfigured CORS policy allows credentialed cross-origin requests from attacker-controlled domains, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive user account data including email addresses, account identifiers, and MFA status. All versions of the application are affected by this vulnerability, which remains unpatched and exploitable through simple web-based attacks requiring user interaction.
Arbitrary host file exfiltration from Cloud Hypervisor VMM versions 34.0-50.0. CVSS 10.0. Patch available.
Global Facilities Management Software versions up to 20230721a contains a security vulnerability (CVSS 7.1).
Blank admin credentials allowed in device web management. Admin can set empty password, making device fully accessible.
HTTP Basic Authentication over unencrypted connections in the device's embedded web interface allows attackers on the same network to passively intercept and capture user credentials. This cleartext transmission of authentication data exposes administrative access to network-based eavesdropping attacks. The lack of HTTPS/TLS support creates a significant credential compromise risk for affected devices with no available patch.
PHP Remote File Inclusion in Soleng WordPress theme.
httpsig-hyper versions prior to 0.0.23 fail to properly validate HTTP message digest headers due to improper use of Rust's matches! macro, allowing attackers to forge or modify message bodies without detection. This vulnerability affects applications using the library for HTTP signature verification, enabling attackers to bypass integrity checks on signed requests. A patch is available in version 0.0.23 and later.