smashing the stack for fun and profit (week 2)

Question 1

buffer

Answer 1

a contiguous block of computer memory that holds multiple instances of the same data type

Question 2

static vs. dynamic

Answer 2

static: allocated at load time on the data segment
dynamic: allocated at run time on the stack

Question 3

true or false

memory can only be addressed in multiples of the word size

Answer 3

true

Question 4

in short, how does a buffer overflow attack work?

Answer 4

1. attack can copy more data than was expected by developer
2. attacker can inject its own code into the stack
3. attacker can redirect control of the program by replacing return address