A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it can hold, causing excess data to overflow into adjacent memory locations. This can corrupt data, crash the program, or allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Buffer overflows are one of the most dangerous software vulnerabilities and have been responsible for many historic security breaches. Modern defenses include stack canaries, ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization), DEP (Data Execution Prevention), and safe coding practices.
Cybersecurity