blob: e1f04a9f0e0eb2f320d14698d4a46baad9ba6a19 [file] [log] [blame]
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<!-- Copyright (C) 1988-2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being "Funding Free Software", the Front-Cover
Texts being (a) (see below), and with the Back-Cover Texts being (b)
(see below). A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
"GNU Free Documentation License".
(a) The FSF's Front-Cover Text is:
A GNU Manual
(b) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is:
You have freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU
software. Copies published by the Free Software Foundation raise
funds for GNU development. -->
<!-- Created by GNU Texinfo 5.2, http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/ -->
<head>
<title>Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Object Size Checking</title>
<meta name="description" content="Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Object Size Checking">
<meta name="keywords" content="Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Object Size Checking">
<meta name="resource-type" content="document">
<meta name="distribution" content="global">
<meta name="Generator" content="makeinfo">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<link href="index.html#Top" rel="start" title="Top">
<link href="Option-Index.html#Option-Index" rel="index" title="Option Index">
<link href="index.html#SEC_Contents" rel="contents" title="Table of Contents">
<link href="C-Extensions.html#C-Extensions" rel="up" title="C Extensions">
<link href="Pointer-Bounds-Checker-builtins.html#Pointer-Bounds-Checker-builtins" rel="next" title="Pointer Bounds Checker builtins">
<link href="x86-specific-memory-model-extensions-for-transactional-memory.html#x86-specific-memory-model-extensions-for-transactional-memory" rel="prev" title="x86 specific memory model extensions for transactional memory">
<style type="text/css">
<!--
a.summary-letter {text-decoration: none}
blockquote.smallquotation {font-size: smaller}
div.display {margin-left: 3.2em}
div.example {margin-left: 3.2em}
div.indentedblock {margin-left: 3.2em}
div.lisp {margin-left: 3.2em}
div.smalldisplay {margin-left: 3.2em}
div.smallexample {margin-left: 3.2em}
div.smallindentedblock {margin-left: 3.2em; font-size: smaller}
div.smalllisp {margin-left: 3.2em}
kbd {font-style:oblique}
pre.display {font-family: inherit}
pre.format {font-family: inherit}
pre.menu-comment {font-family: serif}
pre.menu-preformatted {font-family: serif}
pre.smalldisplay {font-family: inherit; font-size: smaller}
pre.smallexample {font-size: smaller}
pre.smallformat {font-family: inherit; font-size: smaller}
pre.smalllisp {font-size: smaller}
span.nocodebreak {white-space:nowrap}
span.nolinebreak {white-space:nowrap}
span.roman {font-family:serif; font-weight:normal}
span.sansserif {font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:normal}
ul.no-bullet {list-style: none}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang="en" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080" alink="#FF0000">
<a name="Object-Size-Checking"></a>
<div class="header">
<p>
Next: <a href="Pointer-Bounds-Checker-builtins.html#Pointer-Bounds-Checker-builtins" accesskey="n" rel="next">Pointer Bounds Checker builtins</a>, Previous: <a href="x86-specific-memory-model-extensions-for-transactional-memory.html#x86-specific-memory-model-extensions-for-transactional-memory" accesskey="p" rel="prev">x86 specific memory model extensions for transactional memory</a>, Up: <a href="C-Extensions.html#C-Extensions" accesskey="u" rel="up">C Extensions</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Option-Index.html#Option-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
</div>
<hr>
<a name="Object-Size-Checking-Built_002din-Functions"></a>
<h3 class="section">6.54 Object Size Checking Built-in Functions</h3>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005fobject_005fsize"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fmemcpy_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fmempcpy_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fmemmove_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fmemset_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fstrcpy_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fstpcpy_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fstrncpy_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fstrcat_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fstrncat_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fsprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fsnprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fvsprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fvsnprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fvprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005ffprintf_005fchk"></a>
<a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005f_005f_005fvfprintf_005fchk"></a>
<p>GCC implements a limited buffer overflow protection mechanism
that can prevent some buffer overflow attacks.
</p>
<dl>
<dt><a name="index-_005f_005fbuiltin_005fobject_005fsize-1"></a>Built-in Function: <em>size_t</em> <strong>__builtin_object_size</strong> <em>(void * <var>ptr</var>, int <var>type</var>)</em></dt>
<dd><p>is a built-in construct that returns a constant number of bytes from
<var>ptr</var> to the end of the object <var>ptr</var> pointer points to
(if known at compile time). <code>__builtin_object_size</code> never evaluates
its arguments for side-effects. If there are any side-effects in them, it
returns <code>(size_t) -1</code> for <var>type</var> 0 or 1 and <code>(size_t) 0</code>
for <var>type</var> 2 or 3. If there are multiple objects <var>ptr</var> can
point to and all of them are known at compile time, the returned number
is the maximum of remaining byte counts in those objects if <var>type</var> &amp; 2 is
0 and minimum if nonzero. If it is not possible to determine which objects
<var>ptr</var> points to at compile time, <code>__builtin_object_size</code> should
return <code>(size_t) -1</code> for <var>type</var> 0 or 1 and <code>(size_t) 0</code>
for <var>type</var> 2 or 3.
</p>
<p><var>type</var> is an integer constant from 0 to 3. If the least significant
bit is clear, objects are whole variables, if it is set, a closest
surrounding subobject is considered the object a pointer points to.
The second bit determines if maximum or minimum of remaining bytes
is computed.
</p>
<div class="smallexample">
<pre class="smallexample">struct V { char buf1[10]; int b; char buf2[10]; } var;
char *p = &amp;var.buf1[1], *q = &amp;var.b;
/* Here the object p points to is var. */
assert (__builtin_object_size (p, 0) == sizeof (var) - 1);
/* The subobject p points to is var.buf1. */
assert (__builtin_object_size (p, 1) == sizeof (var.buf1) - 1);
/* The object q points to is var. */
assert (__builtin_object_size (q, 0)
== (char *) (&amp;var + 1) - (char *) &amp;var.b);
/* The subobject q points to is var.b. */
assert (__builtin_object_size (q, 1) == sizeof (var.b));
</pre></div>
</dd></dl>
<p>There are built-in functions added for many common string operation
functions, e.g., for <code>memcpy</code> <code>__builtin___memcpy_chk</code>
built-in is provided. This built-in has an additional last argument,
which is the number of bytes remaining in object the <var>dest</var>
argument points to or <code>(size_t) -1</code> if the size is not known.
</p>
<p>The built-in functions are optimized into the normal string functions
like <code>memcpy</code> if the last argument is <code>(size_t) -1</code> or if
it is known at compile time that the destination object will not
be overflown. If the compiler can determine at compile time the
object will be always overflown, it issues a warning.
</p>
<p>The intended use can be e.g.
</p>
<div class="smallexample">
<pre class="smallexample">#undef memcpy
#define bos0(dest) __builtin_object_size (dest, 0)
#define memcpy(dest, src, n) \
__builtin___memcpy_chk (dest, src, n, bos0 (dest))
char *volatile p;
char buf[10];
/* It is unknown what object p points to, so this is optimized
into plain memcpy - no checking is possible. */
memcpy (p, &quot;abcde&quot;, n);
/* Destination is known and length too. It is known at compile
time there will be no overflow. */
memcpy (&amp;buf[5], &quot;abcde&quot;, 5);
/* Destination is known, but the length is not known at compile time.
This will result in __memcpy_chk call that can check for overflow
at run time. */
memcpy (&amp;buf[5], &quot;abcde&quot;, n);
/* Destination is known and it is known at compile time there will
be overflow. There will be a warning and __memcpy_chk call that
will abort the program at run time. */
memcpy (&amp;buf[6], &quot;abcde&quot;, 5);
</pre></div>
<p>Such built-in functions are provided for <code>memcpy</code>, <code>mempcpy</code>,
<code>memmove</code>, <code>memset</code>, <code>strcpy</code>, <code>stpcpy</code>, <code>strncpy</code>,
<code>strcat</code> and <code>strncat</code>.
</p>
<p>There are also checking built-in functions for formatted output functions.
</p><div class="smallexample">
<pre class="smallexample">int __builtin___sprintf_chk (char *s, int flag, size_t os, const char *fmt, ...);
int __builtin___snprintf_chk (char *s, size_t maxlen, int flag, size_t os,
const char *fmt, ...);
int __builtin___vsprintf_chk (char *s, int flag, size_t os, const char *fmt,
va_list ap);
int __builtin___vsnprintf_chk (char *s, size_t maxlen, int flag, size_t os,
const char *fmt, va_list ap);
</pre></div>
<p>The added <var>flag</var> argument is passed unchanged to <code>__sprintf_chk</code>
etc. functions and can contain implementation specific flags on what
additional security measures the checking function might take, such as
handling <code>%n</code> differently.
</p>
<p>The <var>os</var> argument is the object size <var>s</var> points to, like in the
other built-in functions. There is a small difference in the behavior
though, if <var>os</var> is <code>(size_t) -1</code>, the built-in functions are
optimized into the non-checking functions only if <var>flag</var> is 0, otherwise
the checking function is called with <var>os</var> argument set to
<code>(size_t) -1</code>.
</p>
<p>In addition to this, there are checking built-in functions
<code>__builtin___printf_chk</code>, <code>__builtin___vprintf_chk</code>,
<code>__builtin___fprintf_chk</code> and <code>__builtin___vfprintf_chk</code>.
These have just one additional argument, <var>flag</var>, right before
format string <var>fmt</var>. If the compiler is able to optimize them to
<code>fputc</code> etc. functions, it does, otherwise the checking function
is called and the <var>flag</var> argument passed to it.
</p>
<hr>
<div class="header">
<p>
Next: <a href="Pointer-Bounds-Checker-builtins.html#Pointer-Bounds-Checker-builtins" accesskey="n" rel="next">Pointer Bounds Checker builtins</a>, Previous: <a href="x86-specific-memory-model-extensions-for-transactional-memory.html#x86-specific-memory-model-extensions-for-transactional-memory" accesskey="p" rel="prev">x86 specific memory model extensions for transactional memory</a>, Up: <a href="C-Extensions.html#C-Extensions" accesskey="u" rel="up">C Extensions</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Option-Index.html#Option-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
</div>
</body>
</html>