A company wants to confirm sufficient executable space protection is in place for scenarios in which malware may be attempting buffer overflow attacks.
Which of the following should the security engineer check?
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A. B. C. D.A.
The correct answer is A. NX/XN.
Buffer overflow attacks are a common type of attack used by hackers to exploit software vulnerabilities. In a buffer overflow attack, a hacker sends more data to a program than it is designed to handle, causing the program to crash or execute arbitrary code. One way to prevent buffer overflow attacks is by using executable space protection.
Executable space protection is a security feature that prevents code from executing in certain areas of memory that are designated as non-executable. This is accomplished using a combination of hardware and software techniques, such as the No-eXecute (NX) or eXecute Never (XN) bit.
Option A (NX/XN) is the correct answer because it refers to the feature that enables executable space protection. NX/XN technology is used to mark certain areas of memory as non-executable, making it difficult for attackers to execute malicious code in those areas.
Option B (ASLR) stands for Address Space Layout Randomization, which is another security feature that helps prevent buffer overflow attacks. ASLR works by randomly arranging the positions of key data areas, making it harder for attackers to predict where to find the code they need to exploit a vulnerability. While ASLR is also an important security feature, it is not specifically related to executable space protection.
Option C (strcpy) is a function used in C programming to copy one string to another. It is not related to executable space protection or buffer overflow attacks.
Option D (ECC) stands for Error Correcting Code, which is a type of memory technology used to detect and correct errors in data. While ECC is an important feature for ensuring data integrity and preventing errors, it is not related to executable space protection or buffer overflow attacks.
In summary, the security engineer should check for the presence of NX/XN technology to confirm sufficient executable space protection is in place for scenarios in which malware may be attempting buffer overflow attacks.