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Buffer Overflow

Detects unsafe C/C++ functions that copy data without bounds checking, enabling stack and heap buffer overflows.

zakirkun 48cc585 2 files · 3.6 KB Updated
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Buffer Overflow

Overview

Buffer overflows occur when data is written beyond the boundaries of allocated memory. In C/C++, unsafe library functions have no bounds checking:

  • gets(): Reads unlimited input into fixed buffer — deprecated and removed from C11
  • strcpy(): Copies until null terminator with no size limit
  • strcat(): Concatenates with no size limit
  • sprintf(): Formats with no output buffer size check

Consequences: Stack corruption, return address overwrite, arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation.

Remediation

Replace unsafe functions with safe alternatives:

  • gets() → fgets(buf, sizeof(buf), stdin) or getline()
  • strcpy() → strncpy() + manual null termination, or strlcpy()
  • strcat() → strncat() or strlcat()
  • sprintf() → snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), ...)

zakirkun/ice-tea/tree/main/skills/memory/buffer-overflow commit 48cc585795

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npx skillmds@latest add zakirkun/buffer-overflow