Buffer Overflow Condition

Also known as buffer overrun, a buffer overflow condition is essentially a programming flaw that often results in erratic behavior. It may cause a program to have trouble accessing memory or experience a crash. A buffer overflow condition can also be intentionally caused by a malicious user to plant infections or to breach security. A buffer overflow condition will occur when a process attempts to store more content beyond the limits of a buffer with a fixed capacity. This results in additional overwrites that go against memory locations. The overwritten content may consist of other buffers and variables that cause the process to falter or produce unintended results. A buffer overflow condition is liable to cause numerous vulnerabilities in a program or computer, making way for a wide variety of exploits. The most common forms of exploitation aimed at a buffer overflow condition are a stack-based overflow and a heap-based overflow.