Security Research

Security Blog

Page 18

high7 min

GPIO Bounds Checking: Fixing an Out-of-Bounds Access in py32ioexp Driver

A high-severity out-of-bounds access vulnerability was discovered and patched in the `py32ioexp` Linux GPIO expander driver. The `py32io_gpio_direction_input()` function failed to validate a user-supplied pin offset against the chip's declared GPIO count, opening the door to memory corruption via the GPIO character device interface. A two-line bounds check now closes the vulnerability cleanly and efficiently.

#linux-kernel#gpio#out-of-bounds+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical10 min

Critical Buffer Overflow in NCO Filter String Construction: How strcat() Without Bounds Checking Can Corrupt Memory

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered and patched in the NetCDF Operators (NCO) library, specifically in the filter string construction loop within `nco_flt.c`. The flaw stemmed from repeated use of `strcat()` and `sprintf()` without any bounds checking, allowing an attacker to supply crafted filter specifications that overflow a fixed-size buffer and corrupt adjacent memory. The fix replaces these unsafe calls with bounds-aware `snprintf()` invocations that track the current w

#buffer-overflow#c-security#memory-safety+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical8 min

Critical DHCP Heap Overflow: How a Missing Bounds Check Opens the Door to Memory Corruption

A critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered in a DHCP server implementation where the hardware address length field (`hlen`) from an attacker-controlled packet was trusted without validation, allowing up to 239 bytes of heap corruption. The fix adds a simple bounds check before the memory copy, ensuring the copy length never exceeds the destination buffer size. This type of vulnerability can lead to remote code execution, denial of service, or full system compromise in network-f

#buffer-overflow#dhcp#embedded-systems+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical8 min

Use-After-Free in zmap.h: How a Missing NULL Assignment Nearly Opened the Door to Arbitrary Code Execution

A critical use-after-free vulnerability was discovered and patched in `zmap.h`, where freed memory pointers were not reset to a safe state after deallocation in the `map` destructor and move-assignment operator. This oversight allowed subsequent code paths — including destructors, iterators, and concurrent threads — to access memory that had already been returned to the allocator, creating a condition exploitable for arbitrary code execution. The fix, a two-line change adding `inner = {};` after

#c++#memory-safety#use-after-free+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical7 min

Stack Buffer Overflow in Kernel HAL: How vsprintf Almost Became a Ring-0 Exploit

A critical stack buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered in the ARM Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) initialization code, where an unchecked `vsprintf()` call could allow an attacker to overwrite the stack frame and achieve arbitrary code execution at the kernel level (ring-0). The fix replaces `vsprintf()` with `vsnprintf()` — a single-character change with enormous security implications. Left unpatched, this vulnerability could have allowed malicious hardware enumeration data or boot-time

#buffer-overflow#kernel-security#c-programming+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical6 min

Critical Integer Sign Bug in runtime_malloc(): How a Missing Check Enables Heap Corruption

A critical vulnerability in `runtime/zenith_runtime.c` allowed the `runtime_malloc()` function to accept negative size values, which when cast to an unsigned type could either trigger a massive failed allocation or produce a dangerously undersized buffer ripe for overflow. The fix adds a simple but essential guard clause that rejects non-positive sizes before they ever reach `malloc()`. Left unpatched, this class of bug can lead to heap metadata corruption, process crashes, or even arbitrary cod

#c#memory-safety#heap-corruption+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical7 min

Shell Injection via os.system(): How a Single Line of Code Can Compromise Your System

A critical OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) was discovered and patched in `voice.py`, where user-controlled input was interpolated directly into a shell command string passed to `os.system()`. An attacker who could influence the `device` variable — through a config file, environment variable, or any external input — could execute arbitrary system commands with the full privileges of the running process. The fix replaces the dangerous `os.system()` calls with Python's `subprocess.run()

#security#python#command-injection+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical9 min

Critical Buffer Overflow in VMS Mail: How strcpy() Became a Security Nightmare

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered and patched in `sys/vms/vmsmail.c`, where eight unchecked calls to `strcpy()` and `strcat()` allowed externally-sourced mail message content to overflow fixed-size buffers. An attacker capable of sending a crafted VMS mail message could overwrite stack return addresses, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution. The fix replaces all dangerous string operations with bounds-checked `snprintf()` calls, eliminating the overflow risk entire

#buffer-overflow#c-security#strcpy+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical7 min

Critical Buffer Overflow in RC Device Parser: How One Missing Bounds Check Opens the Door to Memory Corruption

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered in the RC device request parser (`rcdevice.c`), where incoming packet data was written to a fixed-size buffer using an attacker-controlled length field as the only guard. Because the expected data length was parsed directly from the packet without being validated against the actual allocated buffer size, a malicious packet could overflow the buffer and overwrite adjacent stack or heap memory with arbitrary bytes. The fix adds a single, esse

#buffer-overflow#embedded-security#c-programming+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
high7 min

Buffer Overflow in RS-232 Serial Input: How a Missing Length Check Put Embedded Systems at Risk

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered in `serial.c`, where the `rs232_buffered_input` function could write more bytes than the destination buffer `rs232_ibuff` could hold — with no size limit to stop it. An attacker with access to the RS-232 serial port could exploit this to overwrite adjacent OS memory, including return addresses and critical data structures. The fix adds a simple but essential bounds check that clamps the returned byte count to the actual buffer size.

#buffer-overflow#embedded-security#c-programming+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical7 min

Critical Buffer Overflow Fix: How Unbounded strcpy() Puts Your System at Risk

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered in a custom `strcpy()` implementation that performed unbounded memory copies without any destination buffer size validation. In kernel and OS contexts, this flaw could allow attackers to overwrite return addresses, corrupt heap metadata, or destabilize critical system data structures. The fix replaces the unsafe `strcpy()` with a bounds-checked `strlcpy()` that enforces a maximum copy length, eliminating the overflow risk entirely.

#buffer-overflow#c-security#memory-safety+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026
critical7 min

Critical Buffer Overflow Fixed: memcpy Without Bounds Checking in C++ Integer Wrapper

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered and patched in `libs/intx/wrapper.cpp`, where `memcpy` operations wrote into fixed-size buffers without first validating that the copy length fit within the destination. Because these functions process externally-supplied data arriving over RPC, an attacker could potentially trigger heap or stack corruption remotely. The fix adds strict bounds and null-pointer checks before any memory operation takes place.

#buffer-overflow#cpp#memory-safety+4 more
O
orbisai0security
May 28, 2026