stack smashing

The stack, also called a pushdown stack or first-in last-out circuit, is a form of buffer that holds the intermediate results of an operation or data that is awaiting processing. If the stack receives more data than it can hold, the excess data is lost. Some of this data may be critical to system operation. A skilled hacker can corrupt or change critical data by deliberately introducing too much data into the stack.

Read more about stack smashing: - Hiroaki Etoh and Kunikasu Yoda of IBM (Tokyo) discuss methods of protecting systems from stack smashing.

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know. Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Tips for SQL injection protection In this podcast, Scott Matsumoto, a secure coding expert with Cigital Inc. explains the tools available to software developers and security pros to... Microsoft addresses XSS in Internet Explorer A cross-site scripting filter and additional security features for developers will help defend against attacks. Internet Explorer open to spoofing, scripting attacks A zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) leaves the browser open to an attack that could allow someone to capture the keystrokes of a...

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary buffer overflow  (SearchSecurity.com) cache poisoning  (SearchSecurity.com)