Question

Given that memory and processing capacities tend to be limited, buffering is employed to enhance system performance. Yet this helpful technique may pose security concerns.

In this discussion, we are going to explore buffer exploitations.

In your initial post:

• Discuss why buffer overflows occur, include examples of buffer overflows.
• Discuss the different types of buffer overflow attacks.

Answer 1

*Untitled - Notepad - X Eile Edit Format View Help A buffer is a temporary area for data storage. When more data (than was originally allocated to be stored) gets placed by a program or system process, the extra data overflows. It causes some of that data to leak out into other buffers, which can corrupt or overwrite whatever data they were holding. In a buffer-overflow attack, the extra data sometimes holds specific instructions for actions intended by a hacker or malicious user; for example, the data could trigger a response that damages files, changes data or unveils private information. Attacker would use a buffer-overflow exploit to take advantage of a program that is waiting on a user's input. There are two types of buffer overflows: stack-based and heap-based. Heap-based, which are difficult to execute and the least common of the two, attack an application by flooding the memory space reserved for a program. Stack-based buffer overflows, which are more common among attackers, exploit applications and programs by using what is known as a stack: memory space used to store user input. Buffer overflow is an anomaly that occurs when software writing data to a buffer overflows the buffer's capacity, resulting in adjacent memory locations being overwritten. In other words, too much information is being passed into a container that does not have enough space, and that information ends up replacing data in adjacent containers. Buffer overflows can be exploited by attackers with a goal of modifying a computer's memory in order to undermine or take control of program execution. Who is vulnerable to buffer overflow attacks? Certain coding languages are more susceptible to buffer overflow than others. C and C++ are two popular languages with high vulnerability, since they contain no built-in protections against accessing or overwriting data in their memory. Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux all contain code written in one or both of these languages. More modern languages like Java, PERL, and C# have built-in features that help reduce the chances of buffer overflow, but cannot prevent it altogether. Activate Windows Go to Settings to activate Windows.