buffer overflow vulnerabilitie

Computer Systems A Programmer's Perspective Second Edition

Avoiding security holes.For many years,buffer overflow vulnerabilitieshave

accounted for the majority of security holes in network and Internet servers.

These vulnerabilities exist because too few programmers understand the need

to carefully restrict the quantity and forms of data they accept from untrusted

sources. A first step in learning secure programming is to understand the con-

sequences of the way data and control information are stored on the program

stack. We cover the stack discipline and buffer overflow vulnerabilities in

Chapter 3 as part of our study of assembly language. We will also learn about

methods that can be used by the programmer, compiler, and operating system

to reduce the threat of attack.