nerdexam
GIAC

GCIH · Question #11

Which of the following statements about buffer overflow is true?

The correct answer is C. It is a condition in which an application receives more data than it is configured to accept. A buffer overflow is a vulnerability condition in which an application receives more data than its allocated buffer can hold, potentially allowing memory corruption or code execution.

Vulnerability Exploitation & Privilege Escalation

Question

Which of the following statements about buffer overflow is true?

Options

  • AIt manages security credentials and public keys for message encryption.
  • BIt is a collection of files used by Microsoft for software updates released between major
  • CIt is a condition in which an application receives more data than it is configured to accept.
  • DIt is a false warning about a virus.

How the community answered

(40 responses)
  • A
    3% (1)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    90% (36)
  • D
    5% (2)

Why each option

A buffer overflow is a vulnerability condition in which an application receives more data than its allocated buffer can hold, potentially allowing memory corruption or code execution.

AIt manages security credentials and public keys for message encryption.

Managing security credentials and public keys for message encryption describes a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) or key management system, which is entirely unrelated to buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

BIt is a collection of files used by Microsoft for software updates released between major

A collection of files used by Microsoft for software updates released between major versions describes a service pack or cumulative update rollup, not a memory vulnerability condition.

CIt is a condition in which an application receives more data than it is configured to accept.Correct

A buffer overflow occurs when more data is written into a fixed-size memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing excess data to overwrite adjacent memory regions. Depending on what memory is overwritten, this can result in crashes, arbitrary code execution, or privilege escalation by an attacker.

DIt is a false warning about a virus.

A false warning about a virus describes a virus hoax or false positive alert generated by antivirus software, which has no relationship to the buffer overflow vulnerability category.

Concept tested: Buffer overflow vulnerability definition and identification

Source: https://owasp.org/www-community/vulnerabilities/Buffer_Overflow

Topics

#buffer overflow#memory management#vulnerability definition#data overflow

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full GCIH Practice