CWE-131
AllowedIncorrect Calculation of Buffer Size
Abstraction: Base · Status: Draft
The product does not correctly calculate the size to be used when allocating a buffer, which could lead to a buffer overflow.
278 vulnerabilities reference this CWE, most recent first.
GHSA-W387-VHCW-8QVH
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 17:45 – Updated: 2022-05-24 17:45An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the SGI format buffer size processing functionality of Accusoft ImageGear 19.8. A specially crafted malformed file can lead to memory corruption. An attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger this vulnerability.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2021-21782"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131",
"CWE-787"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2021-03-31T14:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the SGI format buffer size processing functionality of Accusoft ImageGear 19.8. A specially crafted malformed file can lead to memory corruption. An attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger this vulnerability.",
"id": "GHSA-w387-vhcw-8qvh",
"modified": "2022-05-24T17:45:56Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T17:45:56Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21782"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2021-1244"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-W4C8-8FHQ-883P
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2023-03-04 18:30 – Updated: 2025-11-03 21:30Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.1378.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2023-1175"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2023-03-04T16:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.1378.",
"id": "GHSA-w4c8-8fhq-883p",
"modified": "2025-11-03T21:30:47Z",
"published": "2023-03-04T18:30:16Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1175"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/c99cbf8f289bdda5d4a77d7ec415850a520330ba"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://huntr.dev/bounties/7e93fc17-92eb-4ae7-b01a-93bb460b643e"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/06/msg00015.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00023.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DIAKPMKJ4OZ6NYRZJO7YWMNQL2BICLYV"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IE44W6WMMREYCW3GJHPSYP7NK2VT5NY6"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/X4KDAU76Z7QNSPKZX2JAJ6O7KIEOXWTL"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DIAKPMKJ4OZ6NYRZJO7YWMNQL2BICLYV"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IE44W6WMMREYCW3GJHPSYP7NK2VT5NY6"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/X4KDAU76Z7QNSPKZX2JAJ6O7KIEOXWTL"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-W4HW-7CWF-37X9
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-11-15 00:31 – Updated: 2024-11-15 21:30A negative-size-param in tsMuxer version nightly-2024-04-05-01-53-02 allows attackers to cause Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted TS video file.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2024-49776"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2024-11-14T23:15:05Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "A negative-size-param in tsMuxer version nightly-2024-04-05-01-53-02 allows attackers to cause Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted TS video file.",
"id": "GHSA-w4hw-7cwf-37x9",
"modified": "2024-11-15T21:30:46Z",
"published": "2024-11-15T00:31:51Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-49776"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/justdan96/tsMuxer/issues/862"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-W7F6-XX44-HWC3
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-03-11 00:02 – Updated: 2022-03-17 00:01There is an incorrect buffer size calculation vulnerability in the video framework. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will affect availability.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2021-40048"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2022-03-10T17:43:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "There is an incorrect buffer size calculation vulnerability in the video framework. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will affect availability.",
"id": "GHSA-w7f6-xx44-hwc3",
"modified": "2022-03-17T00:01:54Z",
"published": "2022-03-11T00:02:30Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-40048"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2022/3"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://device.harmonyos.com/cn/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-phones-202203-0000001257385193"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WR7H-84QC-V963
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-04-03 15:30 – Updated: 2025-03-17 18:31In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
drm/i915/dsc: Fix the macro that calculates DSCC_/DSCA_ PPS reg address
Commit bd077259d0a9 ("drm/i915/vdsc: Add function to read any PPS register") defines a new macro to calculate the DSC PPS register addresses with PPS number as an input. This macro correctly calculates the addresses till PPS 11 since the addresses increment by 4. So in that case the following macro works correctly to give correct register address:
_MMIO(_DSCA_PPS_0 + (pps) * 4)
However after PPS 11, the register address for PPS 12 increments by 12 because of RC Buffer memory allocation in between. Because of this discontinuity in the address space, the macro calculates wrong addresses for PPS 12 - 16 resulting into incorrect DSC PPS parameter value read/writes causing DSC corruption.
This fixes it by correcting this macro to add the offset of 12 for PPS
=12.
v3: Add correct paranthesis for pps argument (Jani Nikula)
(cherry picked from commit 6074be620c31dc2ae11af96a1a5ea95580976fb5)
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2024-26721"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2024-04-03T15:15:54Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ndrm/i915/dsc: Fix the macro that calculates DSCC_/DSCA_ PPS reg address\n\nCommit bd077259d0a9 (\"drm/i915/vdsc: Add function to read any PPS\nregister\") defines a new macro to calculate the DSC PPS register\naddresses with PPS number as an input. This macro correctly calculates\nthe addresses till PPS 11 since the addresses increment by 4. So in that\ncase the following macro works correctly to give correct register\naddress:\n\n_MMIO(_DSCA_PPS_0 + (pps) * 4)\n\nHowever after PPS 11, the register address for PPS 12 increments by 12\nbecause of RC Buffer memory allocation in between. Because of this\ndiscontinuity in the address space, the macro calculates wrong addresses\nfor PPS 12 - 16 resulting into incorrect DSC PPS parameter value\nread/writes causing DSC corruption.\n\nThis fixes it by correcting this macro to add the offset of 12 for PPS\n\u003e=12.\n\nv3: Add correct paranthesis for pps argument (Jani Nikula)\n\n(cherry picked from commit 6074be620c31dc2ae11af96a1a5ea95580976fb5)",
"id": "GHSA-wr7h-84qc-v963",
"modified": "2025-03-17T18:31:39Z",
"published": "2024-04-03T15:30:43Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26721"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/962ac2dce56bb3aad1f82a4bbe3ada57a020287c"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff5999fb03f467e1e7159f0ddb199c787f7512b9"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WV7X-GV33-FGRM
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 19:04 – Updated: 2022-05-24 19:04Memory corruption due to ioctl command size was incorrectly set to the size of a pointer and not enough storage is allocated for the copy of the user argument in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2020-11240"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2021-06-09T05:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "Memory corruption due to ioctl command size was incorrectly set to the size of a pointer and not enough storage is allocated for the copy of the user argument in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice \u0026 Music, Snapdragon Wearables",
"id": "GHSA-wv7x-gv33-fgrm",
"modified": "2022-05-24T19:04:43Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T19:04:43Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11240"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2021-bulletin"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": []
}
GHSA-WVWW-WWW9-C7JJ
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-06 00:00 – Updated: 2022-05-14 00:03RTI Connext DDS Professional and Connext DDS Secure Versions 4.2x to 6.1.0 not correctly calculate the size when allocating the buffer, which may result in a buffer overflow.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2021-38435"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2022-05-05T17:15:00Z",
"severity": "CRITICAL"
},
"details": "RTI Connext DDS Professional and Connext DDS Secure Versions 4.2x to 6.1.0 not correctly calculate the size when allocating the buffer, which may result in a buffer overflow.",
"id": "GHSA-wvww-www9-c7jj",
"modified": "2022-05-14T00:03:34Z",
"published": "2022-05-06T00:00:46Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38435"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://support.rti.com/s/login/?ec=302\u0026startURL=%2Fs%2F"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-21-315-02"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WXHF-M7W8-4VJP
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-12-05 15:30 – Updated: 2022-12-06 18:30In throttling, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect calculation of buffer size. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07405966; Issue ID: ALPS07405966.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2022-32630"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131",
"CWE-787"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2022-12-05T15:15:00Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "In throttling, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect calculation of buffer size. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07405966; Issue ID: ALPS07405966.",
"id": "GHSA-wxhf-m7w8-4vjp",
"modified": "2022-12-06T18:30:17Z",
"published": "2022-12-05T15:30:28Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-32630"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://corp.mediatek.com/product-security-bulletin/December-2022"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WXRQ-HW6F-M4W8
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2023-11-08 09:30 – Updated: 2023-12-14 12:31In versions of FreeBSD 12.4-RELEASE prior to 12.4-RELEASE-p7 and FreeBSD 13.2-RELEASE prior to 13.2-RELEASE-p5 the __sflush() stdio function in libc does not correctly update FILE objects' write space members for write-buffered streams when the write(2) system call returns an error. Depending on the nature of an application that calls libc's stdio functions and the presence of errors returned from the write(2) system call (or an overridden stdio write routine) a heap buffer overflow may occur. Such overflows may lead to data corruption or the execution of arbitrary code at the privilege level of the calling program.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2023-5941"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2023-11-08T09:15:07Z",
"severity": "CRITICAL"
},
"details": "In versions of FreeBSD 12.4-RELEASE prior to 12.4-RELEASE-p7 and FreeBSD 13.2-RELEASE prior to 13.2-RELEASE-p5 the __sflush() stdio function in libc does not correctly update FILE objects\u0027 write space members for write-buffered streams when the write(2) system call returns an error. \u00a0Depending on the nature of an application that calls libc\u0027s stdio functions and the presence of errors returned from the write(2) system call (or an overridden stdio write routine) a heap buffer overflow may occur. Such overflows may lead to data corruption or the execution of arbitrary code at the privilege level of the calling program.",
"id": "GHSA-wxrq-hw6f-m4w8",
"modified": "2023-12-14T12:31:43Z",
"published": "2023-11-08T09:30:26Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5941"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-23:15.stdio.asc"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231214-0004"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-X24C-W26V-W8JG
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-01-29 09:31 – Updated: 2026-02-09 15:30In the Eclipse OMR port library component since release 0.2.0, an API function to return the textual names of all supported processor features was not accounting for the separator inserted between processor features. If the output buffer supplied to this function was incorrectly sized, failing to account for the separator when determining when a write to the buffer was safe could lead to a buffer overflow. This issue is fixed in Eclipse OMR version 0.8.0.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-1188"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-120",
"CWE-131"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2026-01-29T09:16:03Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "In the Eclipse OMR port library component since release 0.2.0, an API function to return the textual names of all supported processor features was not accounting for the separator inserted between processor features. If the output buffer supplied to this function was incorrectly sized, failing to account for the separator when determining when a write to the buffer was safe could lead to a buffer overflow. This issue is fixed in Eclipse OMR version 0.8.0.",
"id": "GHSA-x24c-w26v-w8jg",
"modified": "2026-02-09T15:30:30Z",
"published": "2026-01-29T09:31:49Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1188"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/eclipse-omr/omr/pull/8082"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
},
{
"score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X",
"type": "CVSS_V4"
}
]
}
Mitigation
When allocating a buffer for the purpose of transforming, converting, or encoding an input, allocate enough memory to handle the largest possible encoding. For example, in a routine that converts "&" characters to "&" for HTML entity encoding, the output buffer needs to be at least 5 times as large as the input buffer.
Mitigation MIT-36
- Understand the programming language's underlying representation and how it interacts with numeric calculation (CWE-681). Pay close attention to byte size discrepancies, precision, signed/unsigned distinctions, truncation, conversion and casting between types, "not-a-number" calculations, and how the language handles numbers that are too large or too small for its underlying representation. [REF-7]
- Also be careful to account for 32-bit, 64-bit, and other potential differences that may affect the numeric representation.
Mitigation MIT-8
Strategy: Input Validation
Perform input validation on any numeric input by ensuring that it is within the expected range. Enforce that the input meets both the minimum and maximum requirements for the expected range.
Mitigation MIT-15
For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
Mitigation
When processing structured incoming data containing a size field followed by raw data, identify and resolve any inconsistencies between the size field and the actual size of the data (CWE-130).
Mitigation
When allocating memory that uses sentinels to mark the end of a data structure - such as NUL bytes in strings - make sure you also include the sentinel in your calculation of the total amount of memory that must be allocated.
Mitigation MIT-13
Replace unbounded copy functions with analogous functions that support length arguments, such as strcpy with strncpy. Create these if they are not available.
Mitigation
Use sizeof() on the appropriate data type to avoid CWE-467.
Mitigation
Use the appropriate type for the desired action. For example, in C/C++, only use unsigned types for values that could never be negative, such as height, width, or other numbers related to quantity. This will simplify validation and will reduce surprises related to unexpected casting.
Mitigation MIT-4
Strategy: Libraries or Frameworks
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid [REF-1482].
- Use libraries or frameworks that make it easier to handle numbers without unexpected consequences, or buffer allocation routines that automatically track buffer size.
- Examples include safe integer handling packages such as SafeInt (C++) or IntegerLib (C or C++). [REF-106]
Mitigation MIT-10
Strategy: Environment Hardening
- Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking.
- D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND [REF-1334] discusses canary-based detection in detail.
Mitigation MIT-11
Strategy: Environment Hardening
- Run or compile the software using features or extensions that randomly arrange the positions of a program's executable and libraries in memory. Because this makes the addresses unpredictable, it can prevent an attacker from reliably jumping to exploitable code.
- Examples include Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) [REF-58] [REF-60] and Position-Independent Executables (PIE) [REF-64]. Imported modules may be similarly realigned if their default memory addresses conflict with other modules, in a process known as "rebasing" (for Windows) and "prelinking" (for Linux) [REF-1332] using randomly generated addresses. ASLR for libraries cannot be used in conjunction with prelink since it would require relocating the libraries at run-time, defeating the whole purpose of prelinking.
- For more information on these techniques see D3-SAOR (Segment Address Offset Randomization) from D3FEND [REF-1335].
Mitigation MIT-12
Strategy: Environment Hardening
- Use a CPU and operating system that offers Data Execution Protection (using hardware NX or XD bits) or the equivalent techniques that simulate this feature in software, such as PaX [REF-60] [REF-61]. These techniques ensure that any instruction executed is exclusively at a memory address that is part of the code segment.
- For more information on these techniques see D3-PSEP (Process Segment Execution Prevention) from D3FEND [REF-1336].
Mitigation MIT-26
Strategy: Compilation or Build Hardening
Examine compiler warnings closely and eliminate problems with potential security implications, such as signed / unsigned mismatch in memory operations, or use of uninitialized variables. Even if the weakness is rarely exploitable, a single failure may lead to the compromise of the entire system.
Mitigation MIT-17
Strategy: Environment Hardening
Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
Mitigation MIT-22
Strategy: Sandbox or Jail
- Run the code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software.
- OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations.
- This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise.
- Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
CAPEC-100: Overflow Buffers
Buffer Overflow attacks target improper or missing bounds checking on buffer operations, typically triggered by input injected by an adversary. As a consequence, an adversary is able to write past the boundaries of allocated buffer regions in memory, causing a program crash or potentially redirection of execution as per the adversaries' choice.
CAPEC-47: Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion
In this attack, the target software is given input that the adversary knows will be modified and expanded in size during processing. This attack relies on the target software failing to anticipate that the expanded data may exceed some internal limit, thereby creating a buffer overflow.