What is heap overflow exploitation?

What is heap overflow exploitation?

Heap overflow exploitation occurs when a program writes more data to a heap-allocated memory block than it can hold, leading to memory corruption.

How can attackers use heap overflow vulnerabilities?

Attackers can manipulate heap overflow vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code, crash applications, or escalate privileges.

What are some common techniques to prevent heap overflow?

Common prevention techniques include using safe memory allocation functions, implementing bounds checking, and employing memory protection mechanisms.

Can you give an example of a real-world heap overflow attack?

One notable example is the 2010 attack on the Mozilla Firefox browser, where a heap overflow vulnerability was exploited to execute malicious code.