Vulnerabilities
Format String Vulnerability
Also known as: printf format bug
Definition
A flaw caused by passing user-controlled input as the format string of printf-like functions, allowing attackers to read or write arbitrary memory.
Examples
- CVE-2000-0573 (wu-ftpd) — site exec format-string remote root.
- Embedded routers that log directly to syslog with attacker-controlled fields.
Related terms
Memory Corruption
An umbrella term for vulnerabilities where a program writes outside the bounds of intended memory, undermining type-safety, control flow, or data integrity.
Secure Coding
Secure Coding — definition coming soon.
Buffer Overflow
A memory-safety flaw where a program writes past the end of an allocated buffer, corrupting adjacent memory and often enabling code execution.
Vulnerability
A weakness in a system, application, or process that an attacker can exploit to violate confidentiality, integrity, or availability.
Exploit
A piece of code, data, or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to cause unintended behaviour such as code execution, privilege escalation, or information disclosure.
SAST (Static Application Security Testing)
Automated analysis of source code, bytecode or binaries — without executing it — to find security weaknesses such as injection, unsafe APIs or insecure crypto.