https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=89161
sisyphus359 at gmail dot com changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CC| |sisyphus359 at gmail dot com --- Comment #3 from sisyphus359 at gmail dot com --- Another demo of just how nasty this bug can be. (Apologies if this adds nothing to what has already been ascertained.) /********************************/ /* overflow.c * * Build with (eg): * * gcc -o overflow overflow.c -O2 -Wall */ #include <stdio.h> void foo(double, unsigned int); int main(void) { double d = 5.1; unsigned int precis = 15; foo(d, precis); } void foo(double dub, unsigned int prec) { char buf[127]; if( prec < sizeof(buf) && /** LINE 18 **/ sizeof(buf) - prec > 10 ){ sprintf (buf, "%.*g", prec, dub); /** LINE 21 **/ printf("%s\n", buf); } } /********************************/ The warning is: overflow.c:21:19: warning: '%.*g' directive writing between 1 and 133 bytes into a region of size 127 [-Wformat-overflow=] sprintf (buf, "%.*g", prec, dub); ^~~~ overflow.c:21:18: note: assuming directive output of 132 bytes sprintf (buf, "%.*g", prec, dub); ^~~~~~ overflow.c:21:4: note: 'sprintf' output between 2 and 134 bytes into a destination of size 127 sprintf (buf, "%.*g", prec, dub); ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and I'm seeing it on Ubuntu-20.04, gcc-9.3.0 and on Windows 7, gcc-8.3.0. That's the message as seen on Windows, and it's essentially the same as appears on Ubuntu except that Ubuntu appends some additional noise: In file included from /usr/include/stdio.h:867, from overflow.c:4: /usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu/bits/stdio2.h:36:10: note: ‘__builtin___sprintf_chk’ output between 2 and 134 bytes into a destination of size 127 36 | return __builtin___sprintf_chk (__s, __USE_FORTIFY_LEVEL - 1, | ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 37 | __bos (__s), __fmt, __va_arg_pack ()); | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A couple of things to note: 1) AFAICS, a buffer overflow cannot occur unless sizeof(buf) - prec wraps to a value greater than 10. That's why we check in advance that prec < sizeof(ebuf) at line 18. 2) If I comment out the first condition (ie line 18) then no warning is issued, even though the removal of that condition opens the door to buffer overflow occurring. Cheers, Rob