CAPEC-123
Buffer Manipulation
An adversary manipulates an application's interaction with a buffer in an attempt to read or modify data they shouldn't have access to. Buffer attacks are distinguished in that it is the buffer space itself that is the target of the attack rather than any code responsible for interpreting the content of the buffer. In virtually all buffer attacks the content that is placed in the buffer is immaterial. Instead, most buffer attacks involve retrieving or providing more input than can be stored in the allocated buffer, resulting in the reading or overwriting of other unintended program memory.
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Explain the attack pattern CAPEC-123: Buffer Manipulation: how it unfolds, what it needs and how to prevent and detect it in my systems. Use https://capec.mitre.org/data/definitions/123.html and https://cve.bz/cve/capec/123?via=ask-ai-copy, which lists recent CVEs with the weaknesses it exploits. Cite the sources.Opens a third-party assistant; its answer is its own, not cve.bz's. The prompt holds only this attack pattern's id and public links.
Prerequisites
The adversary must identify a programmatic means for interacting with a buffer, such as vulnerable C code, and be able to provide input to this interaction.
Consequences
| Impact | Affects | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Unreliable Execution | Availability | A buffer manipulation attack often results in a crash of the application due to the corruption of memory. |
| Execute Unauthorized Commands, Modify Data, Read Data | Confidentiality | If constructed properly, a buffer manipulation attack can be used to contol the execution of the application leading to any number of negative consequenses. |
Mitigations
To help protect an application from buffer manipulation attacks, a number of potential mitigations can be leveraged. Before starting the development of the application, consider using a code language (e.g., Java) or compiler that limits the ability of developers to act beyond the bounds of a buffer. If the chosen language is susceptible to buffer related issues (e.g., C) then consider using secure functions instead of those vulnerable to buffer manipulations. If a potentially dangerous function must be used, make sure that proper boundary checking is performed. Additionally, there are often a number of compiler-based mechanisms (e.g., StackGuard, ProPolice and the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag) that can help identify and protect against potential buffer issues. Finally, there may be operating system level preventative functionality that can be applied.
Weaknesses it exploits
- CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
Recent CVEs with these weaknesses
- 8.8CVE-2026-124948
Incorrect boundary conditions, use-after-free in the Graphics component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.
- 5.3CVE-2026-124996
A weakness has been identified in Turboderp-org ExLlamaV3 up to 1.6.3. The impacted element is the function routing_sel_norm_kernel of the file exllamav3/exllamav3_ext/routing.cu of the component hash-MoE routing. This manipulation of the …
- 5.3CVE-2026-124994
A security flaw has been discovered in Turboderp-org ExLlamaV3 up to 1.6.3. The affected element is the function ngram_dequant of the file exllamav3/exllamav3_ext/ngram.cu of the component NGramEmbedding. The manipulation of the argument h…
- 5.5CVE-2026-124586
A vulnerability was determined in Tencent RapidJSON 1.1.0. Impacted is the function GetCachedPowerByIndex in the library include/rapidjson/internal/diyfp.h. This manipulation of the argument decimalPosition causes out-of-bounds read. It is…
- 7.7CVE-2026-124563
A security flaw has been discovered in D-Link DIR-878 1.20B05. Affected by this vulnerability is the function SetWanSettings of the component HNAP Handler. The manipulation of the argument Primary/Secondary results in buffer overflow. The …
- 7.7CVE-2026-124562
A vulnerability was identified in D-Link DIR-878 1.20B05. Affected is the function SetWanSettings of the component HNAP Handler. The manipulation of the argument ConfigDNS/Primary/ConfigDNS/Secondary leads to buffer overflow. The attack ma…
- 7.7CVE-2026-124561
A vulnerability was determined in D-Link DIR-878 1.20B05. This impacts the function SetVLANSettings of the file prog.cgi of the component HNAP Handler. Executing a manipulation of the argument VID can lead to stack-based buffer overflow. T…
- 8.9CVE-2026-124560
A vulnerability was found in D-Link DIR-878 1.20B05. This affects the function GetCAPTCHAsetting of the file bin/prog.cgi of the component HNAP Handler. Performing a manipulation of the argument uid results in heap-based buffer overflow. T…
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