Insecure use of strcpy, stpcpy, strcat

Description

A buffer overflow condition exists when a program attempts to put more data in a buffer than it can hold, or when a program attempts to put data in a memory area outside of the boundaries of a buffer. This can be caused by using insecure functions such as strcpy, stpcpy, or strcat without proper bounds checking.

Examples

Insecure Code

strcpy(buffer, user_input);

Secure Code

strncpy(buffer, user_input, sizeof(buffer) - 1); buffer[sizeof(buffer) - 1] = '\0';

Remediation

Use strncpy, strncat, or other safer alternatives with proper bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

Rule Details

Field	Value
ID	CODE-0648
Category	Injection
Severity	CRITICAL
CWE	CWE-120
Confidence	HIGH
Impact	HIGH
Likelihood	MEDIUM
Exploitability	EASY
Tags	buffer overflow, insecure function
OWASP	N/A

References

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/120
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/787
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/676
• https://g.co/kgs/PCHQjJ

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