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Buffer overflow attacks occur when more data than the allocated amount of memory is loaded between two pieces of software. Cyber attackers use this situation as a vulnerability and can load malicious code onto systems and execute it. In previous years, some experts frequently emphasised the importance of buffer overflow attacks, noting that they occurred as frequently as DDoS attacks. However, this situation has changed in recent years, and thanks to secure software development training, we see them appearing far less commonly today.
A buffer overflow, also known as a buffer overrun, is an attack method that allows malicious code to be loaded onto a system when exploited by cyber attackers. This attack method is designed to load more data than can be held in memory. Although it is an older type of attack, it is still used as an effective cyber attack method.
When any application communicates via the internet or a private network, it must receive some data. This data is temporarily stored in an area in memory called a buffer. If the programmer who wrote the application is not careful, this can cause a vulnerability. However, when care is taken, information that exceeds the buffer limit can be cut off and rejected, thus ensuring security.
Given the number of applications that can run on a target system and the number of buffers in each application, there is always the possibility of finding at least one buffer thanks to improperly written or unchecked code. A person with moderate programming skill can load more data into a buffer than it can hold. For example, if a buffer can hold 1024 bytes of data and you try to fill it with 2048 bytes, the extra 1024 bytes are loaded into additional memory.
If the extra data is actually a malicious program, it is loaded into the newly allocated memory and can run on the relevant system. It is of course also possible for it to overwrite whatever is running in memory at that moment and cause the application to crash. If the relevant vulnerability is found in the operating system, it can also cause the operating system to error and crash. In either case, a buffer overflow will have very serious consequences.
Fortunately, executing buffer overflow attacks is not as easy as using DOS/DDoS tools. To create a buffer overflow attack, one must have good working knowledge of certain programming languages — C or C++ are the most commonly preferred among these. The attacker must also have enough experience to know whether a buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the target operating system or application, and how it might be exploited.
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