What are some real-world examples of buffer overflow vulnerabilities?

What are some real-world examples of buffer overflow vulnerabilities?

Buffer overflow vulnerabilities occur when a program writes more data to a buffer than it can hold. Some famous examples include the Morris Worm in 1988, which exploited a buffer overflow in the fingerd service, and the Code Red worm in 2001, which targeted a buffer overflow in Microsoft's IIS web server.

How did the Morris Worm affect the internet?

The Morris Worm caused significant disruption by infecting around 6,000 computers, which was about 10% of the internet at the time. It slowed down systems and led to widespread outages, highlighting the need for better security practices.

Are there any modern examples of buffer overflow attacks?

Yes, modern examples include vulnerabilities in software like Adobe Flash and various web browsers. Attackers often exploit these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code.

What can developers do to prevent buffer overflow vulnerabilities?

Developers can use safe programming languages, implement bounds checking, and utilize tools like AddressSanitizer to detect and mitigate buffer overflow issues.