hacktricks/binary-exploitation/libc-heap/use-after-free/README.md

# Use After Free

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## Basic Information

As the name implies, this vulnerability occurs when a program **stores some space** in the heap for an object, **writes** some info there, **frees** it apparently because it's not needed anymore and then **accesses it again**.

The problem here is that it's not ilegal (there **won't be errors**) when a **freed memory is accessed**. So, if the program (or the attacker) managed to **allocate the freed memory and store arbitrary data**, when the freed memory is accessed from the initial pointer that **data would be have been overwritten** causing a **vulnerability that will depends on the sensitivity of the data** that was stored original (if it was a pointer of a function that was going to be be called, an attacker could know control it).

### First Fit attack

A first fit attack targets the way some memory allocators, like in glibc, manage freed memory. When you free a block of memory, it gets added to a list, and new memory requests pull from that list from the end. Attackers can use this behavior to manipulate **which memory blocks get reused, potentially gaining control over them**. This can lead to "use-after-free" issues, where an attacker could **change the contents of memory that gets reallocated**, creating a security risk.\
Check more info in:

{% content-ref url="first-fit.md" %}
[first-fit.md](first-fit.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

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Learn & practice AWS Hacking:<img src="/.gitbook/assets/arte.png" alt="" data-size="line">[**HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE)**](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/arte)<img src="/.gitbook/assets/arte.png" alt="" data-size="line">\
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* **Join the** 💬 [**Discord group**](https://discord.gg/hRep4RUj7f) or the [**telegram group**](https://t.me/peass) or **follow** us on **Twitter** 🐦 [**@hacktricks\_live**](https://twitter.com/hacktricks\_live)**.**
* **Share hacking tricks by submitting PRs to the** [**HackTricks**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks) and [**HackTricks Cloud**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks-cloud) github repos.

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