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codeql/cpp/ql/src/Critical/OverflowCalculated.qhelp
Felicity Chapman 1776ebd991 Fix typo in code tag
2018-11-15 08:14:08 +00:00

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XML

<!DOCTYPE qhelp PUBLIC
"-//Semmle//qhelp//EN"
"qhelp.dtd">
<qhelp>
<overview>
<p>
This query finds calls to:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>malloc</code> that use a <code>strlen</code> for the buffer size and do not take the
zero terminator into consideration.</li>
<li><code>strcat</code> or <code>strncat</code> that use buffers that are too small to contain the new string.</li>
</ul>
<p>
The highlighted expression will cause a buffer overflow because the buffer is too small to contain
the data being copied. Buffer overflows can result to anything from a segmentation fault to a security vulnerability (particularly
if the array is on stack-allocated memory).
</p>
<include src="aliasAnalysisWarning.qhelp" />
</overview>
<recommendation>
<p>
Increase the size of the buffer being allocated.
</p>
</recommendation>
<example>
<p>This example includes three annotated calls that copy a string into a buffer.
The first call to <code>malloc</code> creates a buffer that's the
same size as the string, leaving no space for the zero terminator
and causing an overflow. The second call to <code>malloc</code>
correctly calculates the required buffer size. The call to
<code>strcat</code> appends an additional string to the same buffer
causing a second overflow.</p>
<sample src="OverflowCalculated.cpp" />
</example>
<references>
<li><a href="http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/131.html">CWE-131: Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size</a></li>
<li>I. Gerg. <em>An Overview and Example of the Buffer-Overflow Exploit</em>. IANewsletter vol 7 no 4. 2005.</li>
<li>M. Donaldson. <em>Inside the Buffer Overflow Attack: Mechanism, Method &amp; Prevention</em>. SANS Institute InfoSec Reading Room. 2002.</li>
</references>
</qhelp>