Destination buffer overflow in string manipulation

Function writes to buffer at offset greater than buffer size

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Description

This defect occurs when certain string manipulation functions write to their destination buffer argument at an offset greater than the buffer size.

For instance, when calling the function sprintf(char* buffer, const char* format), you use a constant string format of greater size than buffer.

Risk

Buffer overflow can cause unexpected behavior such as memory corruption or stopping your system. Buffer overflow also introduces the risk of code injection.

Fix

One possible solution is to use alternative functions to constrain the number of characters written. For instance:

  • If you use sprintf to write formatted data to a string, use snprintf, _snprintf or sprintf_s instead to enforce length control. Alternatively, use asprintf to automatically allocate the memory required for the destination buffer.

  • If you use vsprintf to write formatted data from a variable argument list to a string, use vsnprintf or vsprintf_s instead to enforce length control.

  • If you use wcscpy to copy a wide string, use wcsncpy, wcslcpy, or wcscpy_s instead to enforce length control.

Another possible solution is to increase the buffer size.

Examples

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#include <stdio.h>

void func(void) {
    char buffer[20];
    char *fmt_string = "This is a very long string, it does not fit in the buffer";

    sprintf(buffer, fmt_string);
}

In this example, buffer can contain 20 char elements but fmt_string has a greater size.

Correction — Use snprintf Instead of sprintf

One possible correction is to use the snprintf function to enforce length control.

#include <stdio.h>

void func(void) {
    char buffer[20];
    char *fmt_string = "This is a very long string, it does not fit in the buffer";

    snprintf(buffer, 20, fmt_string);
}

Result Information

Group: Static memory
Language: C | C++
Default: On for handwritten code, off for generated code
Command-Line Syntax: STRLIB_BUFFER_OVERFLOW
Impact: High

Version History

Introduced in R2015b

See Also

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