Research/Memory & Resource Management
Memory & Resource Management

Memory corruption

Last updated: 4 Mar 2026

Definition

Invalid reads/writes (e.g., out-of-bounds, use-after-free) alter memory unpredictably.

How to fix Memory corruption?

Add bounds checks; prefer safe containers; enable sanitizers; review ownership/lifetime; minimize unsafe code

Symptoms

Observable signs that may indicate Memory corruption:

  • Crashes with inconsistent stack traces.
  • ASAN/UBSAN detects out-of-bounds or use-after-free.
  • Nondeterministic behavior sensitive to build flags.

Example Errors:

  • AddressSanitizer: heap-use-after-free
  • UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer: out-of-bounds
  • double free or corruption