Revealing system data or debugging information helps an adversary learn about the system and form a plan of attack.
An information leak occurs when system data or debugging information leaves the program through an output stream or logging function.
Example: The following code prints an exception to the standard error stream:
try {
...
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
[1] Standards Mapping - OWASP Top 10 2007 - (OWASP 2007) A6 Information Leakage and Improper Error Handling
[2] Standards Mapping - Security Technical Implementation Guide Version 3 - (STIG 3) APP3620 CAT II
[3] Standards Mapping - Common Weakness Enumeration - (CWE) CWE ID 497
[4] Standards Mapping - Web Application Security Consortium 24 + 2 - (WASC 24 + 2) Information Leakage
[5] Standards Mapping - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Version 2.0 - (PCI 2.0) Requirement 6.5.5
[6] Standards Mapping - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Version 1.2 - (PCI 1.2) Requirement 6.5.6