From the course: Cisco CCNP SCOR Security (350-701) Cert Prep: 1 Security Concepts and Network Security

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Buffer overflow

Buffer overflow

From the course: Cisco CCNP SCOR Security (350-701) Cert Prep: 1 Security Concepts and Network Security

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Buffer overflow

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- [Instructor] A buffer overflow is another type of well-known software vulnerability. Before we talk about the attack itself, let's define what a buffer actually is. A buffer refers to the data buffer, which is an area in the physical memory where temporary data storage happens. When I say temporary data storage, RAM most likely is the first thing that comes to your mind. And that's exactly where the buffer is typically located. Buffers are a way that we can increase efficiency and improve performance. We see this even used with streaming video, where a streaming video service will download maybe 15 to 20% of a video into the buffer and then stream the video from the buffer contents. With streaming video, this is a way to make sure that any connection inconsistencies or any small drops in service will not affect the video being played. A buffer overflow, you can probably guess, happens when that buffer fills to capacity and then continues to receive data, creating a situation where…

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