[PLUG] First JPEG virus is out there

Randal L. Schwartz merlyn at stonehenge.com
Wed Sep 29 05:11:22 UTC 2004


>>>>> "Steve" == Daggett, Steve <Steve.Daggett at fiserv.com> writes:

Steve> 	`smash the stack` [C programming] n. On many C implementations
Steve> 	it is possible to corrupt the execution stack by writing past
Steve> 	the end of an array declared auto in a routine.  Code that does
Steve> 	this is said to smash the stack, and can cause return from the
Steve> 	routine to jump to a random address.  This can produce some of
Steve> 	the most insidious data-dependent bugs known to mankind.
Steve> 	Variants include trash the stack, scribble the stack, mangle
Steve> 	the stack; the term mung the stack is not used, as this is
Steve> 	never done intentionally. See spam; see also alias bug,
Steve> 	fandango on core, memory leak, precedence lossage, overrun screw.

And virtually impossible in OpenBSD now, thanks to W^X, randomized
stack pointers, sentry elements on the stack, and randomized order of
dynloading.

Yeay, OpenBSD.  Helping me sleep at night once again.

-- 
Randal L. Schwartz - Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. - +1 503 777 0095
<merlyn at stonehenge.com> <URL:http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/>
Perl/Unix/security consulting, Technical writing, Comedy, etc. etc.
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