What is a buffer overflow and how do I cause one?

Question

I have heard about a buffer overflow and I would like to know how to cause one.

Can someone show me a small buffer overflow example? New(And what they are used for?)

Answer 1

In addition to what has already been said, keep in mind that you'r program may or may not "crash" when a buffer overflow occurs. It should crash, and you should hope it does - but if the buffer overflow "overflows" into another address that your application has also allocated - your application may appear to operate normally for a longer period of time.

If you are using a later edition of Microsoft Visual Studio - I would suggest using the new secure counterparts in the stdlib, such as sprintf_s insted of sprintf, ect...