Meanings
plural buffer overflows
- computer securityThe event when the amount of data sought to be added to a buffer exceeds the size of the buffer; generally resulting in a catastrophic error if this case has not been anticipated.
When a program or process tries to store more data in a buffer than it was originally anticipated to hold, a buffer overflow occurs. What is really happening during a buffer overflow?
2005, Gert De Laet, Gert Schauwers, Network Security Fundamentals, Cisco Press, →ISBN, page 28Synonyms: buffer overrun
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe event when the amount of data sought to be added to a buffer exceeds the size of the buffer; generally resulting in a catastrophic error if this case has not been anticipated.
Translations
Finnish puskurin yliajo, puskurin ylivuoto
- puskurin yliajoTranslations
- puskurin ylivuotoTranslations
German Pufferüberlauf, Bufferüberlauf
- PufferüberlaufTranslations
- BufferüberlaufTranslations
Polish przepełnienie bufora
- przepełnienie buforaTranslations
Cite this entry
buffer overflow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buffer%20overflow
“buffer overflow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buffer%20overflow. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buffer overflow,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buffer%20overflow.
Source: buffer overflow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.