CWE-788 Detail

CWE-788

Access of Memory Location After End of Buffer
Incomplete
2009-10-29
00h00 +00:00
2024-07-16
00h00 +00:00
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Name: Access of Memory Location After End of Buffer

The product reads or writes to a buffer using an index or pointer that references a memory location after the end of the buffer.

CWE Description

This typically occurs when a pointer or its index is incremented to a position after the buffer; or when pointer arithmetic results in a position after the buffer.

General Informations

Common Consequences

Scope Impact Likelihood
ConfidentialityRead Memory

Note: For an out-of-bounds read, the attacker may have access to sensitive information. If the sensitive information contains system details, such as the current buffer's position in memory, this knowledge can be used to craft further attacks, possibly with more severe consequences.
Integrity
Availability		Modify Memory, DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart

Note: Out of bounds memory access will very likely result in the corruption of relevant memory, and perhaps instructions, possibly leading to a crash. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the program into an infinite loop.
IntegrityModify Memory, Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands

Note: If the memory accessible by the attacker can be effectively controlled, it may be possible to execute arbitrary code, as with a standard buffer overflow. If the attacker can overwrite a pointer's worth of memory (usually 32 or 64 bits), they can redirect a function pointer to their own malicious code. Even when the attacker can only modify a single byte arbitrary code execution can be possible. Sometimes this is because the same problem can be exploited repeatedly to the same effect. Other times it is because the attacker can overwrite security-critical application-specific data -- such as a flag indicating whether the user is an administrator.

Observed Examples

References Description

CVE-2009-2550

Classic stack-based buffer overflow in media player using a long entry in a playlist

CVE-2009-2403

Heap-based buffer overflow in media player using a long entry in a playlist

CVE-2009-0689

large precision value in a format string triggers overflow

CVE-2009-0558

attacker-controlled array index leads to code execution

CVE-2008-4113

OS kernel trusts userland-supplied length value, allowing reading of sensitive information

CVE-2007-4268

Chain: integer signedness error (CWE-195) passes signed comparison, leading to heap overflow (CWE-122)

Detection Methods

Fuzzing

Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a powerful technique for generating large numbers of diverse inputs - either randomly or algorithmically - and dynamically invoking the code with those inputs. Even with random inputs, it is often capable of generating unexpected results such as crashes, memory corruption, or resource consumption. Fuzzing effectively produces repeatable test cases that clearly indicate bugs, which helps developers to diagnose the issues.
Effectiveness : High

Automated Static Analysis

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)
Effectiveness : High

Vulnerability Mapping Notes

Justification : The CWE entry might be misused when lower-level CWE entries might be available. It also overlaps existing CWE entries and might be deprecated in the future.
Comment : If the "Access" operation is known to be a read or a write, then investigate children of entries such as CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write and CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read.

References

REF-961

Automated Source Code Reliability Measure (ASCRM)
Object Management Group (OMG).
http://www.omg.org/spec/ASCRM/1.0/

Submission

Name Organization Date Date release Version
CWE Content Team MITRE 2009-10-21 +00:00 2009-10-29 +00:00 1.6

Modifications

Name Organization Date Comment
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-06-01 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences
CWE Content Team MITRE 2012-05-11 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Observed_Examples, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2013-02-21 +00:00 updated Demonstrative_Examples
CWE Content Team MITRE 2014-06-23 +00:00 updated Demonstrative_Examples
CWE Content Team MITRE 2015-12-07 +00:00 updated Description
CWE Content Team MITRE 2017-05-03 +00:00 updated Description
CWE Content Team MITRE 2017-11-08 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Observed_Examples
CWE Content Team MITRE 2019-01-03 +00:00 updated References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-02-24 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-06-25 +00:00 updated Demonstrative_Examples
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-08-20 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-12-10 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2021-07-20 +00:00 updated Demonstrative_Examples
CWE Content Team MITRE 2022-04-28 +00:00 updated Description
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-01-31 +00:00 updated Description
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-04-27 +00:00 updated Detection_Factors, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-06-29 +00:00 updated Mapping_Notes
CWE Content Team MITRE 2024-07-16 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences