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Code Block
bgColor#FFcccc
struct buffer {
    size_t size;
    char buffer[50];
};

...

void func(struct buffer *buf) {

  /* assuming sizeof(size_t) is 4, sizeof(size_t)+sizeof(char)*50 equals 54 */
  struct buffer *buf_cpy = malloc(sizeof(size_t)+(sizeof(char)*50));

  if (buf_cpy == NULL) {
    /* Handle malloc() error */
  }
  ...
 /* with padding, sizeof(struct buffer) may be greater than 54, causing ina 
   a small buffer overflow amount of data to be written outside the bounds of the allocated memory */
  memcpy(buf_cpy, buf, sizeof(struct buffer));
}

Risk Assessment

Failure to correctly determine the size of a structure can lead to subtle logic errors and buffer overflows.

Rule

Severity

Likelihood

Remediation Cost

Priority

Level

STR33-C

3 (medium)

3 (probable)

2 (medium)

P18

L1

Compliant Solution

Accounting for structure padding prevents these types of errors.

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