Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/13/fbi_cisa_unforgivable_buffer_overflow/
Source: The Register
Title: The Feds want developers to stop coding ‘unforgivable’ buffer overflow vulns
Feedly Summary: FBI, CISA harrumph at Microsoft and VMware in call for coders to quit baking avoidable defects into stuff
US authorities have labelled buffer overflow vulnerabilities “unforgivable defects”, pointed to the presence of the holes in products from the likes of Microsoft and VMware, and urged all software developers to adopt secure-by-design practices to avoid creating more of them.…
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The text addresses the critical issue of buffer overflow vulnerabilities in software, labeling them as “unforgivable defects” by US authorities. It emphasizes the importance of adopting secure coding practices, particularly the use of memory-safe programming languages, and encourages developers to implement proactive security measures throughout the development lifecycle.
Detailed Description:
– US authorities, including the FBI and CISA, have identified buffer overflow vulnerabilities as significant risks in software, describing them as “unforgivable defects.”
– Buffer overflow vulnerabilities occur when software writes more data to memory than allocated, which can lead to malicious exploitation or program crashes.
– Key points emphasized by the FBI and CISA include:
– The need for software developers to abandon outdated and unsafe coding practices.
– Adoption of memory-safe programming languages such as Rust, Go, and Swift to prevent such vulnerabilities.
– Recognition that transitioning existing codebases to memory-safe languages requires considerable effort, hence the recommendation for phased transitions.
– The importance of incorporating technologies and compiler flags that enhance memory safety and reduce risks in existing code.
– Encouragement for developers to engage in aggressive adversarial testing (including static analysis, fuzzing, and manual code reviews) during the development lifecycle.
– The recommendation for conducting root-cause analysis of past vulnerabilities to learn from mistakes and enhance security measures.
Overall, the advisory serves as a wake-up call to software developers to prioritize security in their development practices to mitigate vulnerabilities that pose risks to national and economic security. This advisory is vital for security and compliance professionals in the software development supply chain, indicating a significant shift towards secure-by-design practices.