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CWE-550

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CWE-550

Server-generated Error Message Containing Sensitive Information

Variant
Incomplete

Description

Certain conditions, such as network failure, will cause a server error message to be displayed.

While error messages in and of themselves are not dangerous, per se, it is what an attacker can glean from them that might cause eventual problems.

Common Consequences

Scope

Confidentiality

Impact

Read Application Data

Potential Mitigations

Architecture and Design
System Configuration

Recommendations include designing and adding consistent error handling mechanisms which are capable of handling any user input to your web application, providing meaningful detail to end-users, and preventing error messages that might provide information useful to an attacker from being displayed.

Applicable Platforms

Not Language-Specific

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