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Stack Overflow Vulnerability

Detects code patterns that can cause stack overflows via unbounded recursion or excessive stack allocation.

zakirkun b1c675c 2 files · 2.3 KB Updated
Coding & Dev Tools

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Stack Overflow

Overview

Stack overflows occur when the call stack exceeds available memory:

  • Unbounded recursion: Recursive functions without base case or depth limit
  • Large stack allocations: Variable-length arrays (VLAs) with user-controlled size
  • Deep call chains: Complex XML/JSON parsing with deeply nested structures

In C/C++, stack overflows corrupt adjacent memory and can lead to code execution.

Remediation

  • Add recursion depth limits
  • Use iterative algorithms instead of recursive ones for user-controlled depth
  • Validate nesting depth of parsed structures
  • Use ulimit or OS-level stack size limits

zakirkun/ice-tea/tree/main/skills/memory/stack-overflow commit b1c675caca

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