The FBI and CISA have condemned the vulnerabilities caused by buffer overcrowding as “unforgivable defects” and have urged developers to abandon outdated and unsafe programming methods. In a joint statement addressing critical vulnerabilities in products from major software companies like Microsoft and VMware, they have highlighted significant cybersecurity threats.
Buffer overflow occurs when a program exceeds the allocated memory space, allowing attackers to manipulate application behavior, cause malfunctions, or take control of the system. Despite being well-known and studied extensively, these errors persist in modern products.
The FBI and CISA have identified several recent critical vulnerabilities that have been exploited by hackers in actual attacks. These include cve-2025-21333 in Microsoft Hyper-V, allowing local attackers to elevate privileges, and cve-2025-0282 in iVanti Connect Secure, enabling remote code execution. The statement also mentions a vulnerability in VMware vCenter (cve-2024-38812 ), where initial correction attempts were ineffective, along with critical flaws in Citrix and Linux that have been targeted by attackers.
The agencies stressed the importance of using secure programming languages like Rust, GO, and SWIFT to prevent such issues. They acknowledged that transitioning to these languages would require significant effort, recommending manufacturers to implement gradual modernization plans instead.
Other recommendations include integrating protective mechanisms in existing code bases, utilizing compiler flags and tools such as AddressSanitizer and MemorySanitizer to detect memory issues during execution. Comprehensive testing, including static analysis, phasing, and manual code reviews, is also advised.
Furthermore, the FBI and CISA advised developers to analyze the root causes of past vulnerabilities to prevent future occurrences. They emphasized that cybersecurity should be prioritized at all development stages, as overlooking these measures poses risks not only to individual companies but also to