In programming, it refers to a common pool of memory that is available to the program. The management of the heap is either done by the applications themselves, allocating and deallocating memory as required, or by the operating system or other system program.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Remote code execution flaw in VLC Media Player
- Researchers at Secunia have found a "highly critical" vulnerability that puts users of the cross-platform VLC Media Player at risk of remote code execution attacks. The vulnerability is confirmed in version 0.8.6h on Windows. Prior versions may also be affected. A patch is expected soon from...
- Blog posts 2008-07-02
- Apple plugs 25 Mac OS X security vulnerabilities
- Apple has shipped another Mac OS X monster update to fix a total of 25 documented vulnerabilities that could lead to arbitrary code execution attacks. With Security Update 2008-004, Apple fixes code execution flaws in Launch Services, SMB File Server, System Configuration, VPN and WebKit. ...
- Blog posts 2008-06-30
- 'Sensing' more about what's coming in Windows 7
- 'Sensing' more about what's coming in Windows 7Windows sensors will bring a new management interfaceto set them up, and then they'll crash unexpectedly, and make things stop responding.There'll be a "grandfather" sensor which automatically reboot the machine, and does some protocol sniffing on your box, to make sure that Microsoft...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-18
- 'Highly critical' bug bites OpenOffice
- OpenOffice.org has shipped a fix for a "highly critical" vulnerability affecting versions 2.0 to 2.4 of its open-source desktop productivity suite. According to an advisory from Secunia, the flaw could be exploited to launch code execution attacks with manipulated document files. From the OpenOffice.org...
- Blog posts 2008-06-12
- Code execution flaws hit QuickTime again
- Apple has shipped a highly critical QuickTime software update with patches for at least five code execution vulnerabilities haunting Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OS X users. With QuickTime 7.5, Apple corrects multiple buffer overflows, memory corruption issues and URI handling flaws that could allow malicious...
- Blog posts 2008-06-10
- Another bug your tools won't find and your WAF won't prevent
- First off, I want to apologize to our readers for not being here as much last week. I had a rough week involving a random ear infection and the loss of an aunt to cancer, so it was not a week where I was very concerned about computer security or...
- Blog posts 2008-06-09
- Samba dinged by 'highly critical' flaw
- Researchers at Secunia have flagged a "highly critical" vulnerability in Samba, the widely deployed open-source software for networked file sharing and printing. According to an advisory from Secunia, the vulnerability affects Samba versions 3.0.28a and 3.0.29 and can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a vulnerable...
- Blog posts 2008-05-28
- Gaping holes in Trillian IM client
- Trillian users beware: There are multiple serious security holes in the popular cross-platform IM application. According to alerts issued by TippingPoint's Zero Day Initiative ZDI, the vulnerabilities allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Trillian Pro. Trillian users are strongly...
- Blog posts 2008-05-22
- Leading US search engines in April 2008
- Leading US search engines in April 2008Gosh! What a surprise!Look at those numbers and the Bloatfarm is again the cellar-smeller in search.Why could that be?Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the great dungheap has no monopoly position from which to harass and coerce customers. Maybe...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-17
- Geekbench: Psystar v. Mac mini (and all three MacBooks)
- Geekbench: Psystar v. Mac mini and all three MacBooksI meant MacBook....ntMac Powerbook G3 Wallstreet PDQMy Mac Powerbook G3 Wallstreet PDQ is far more stylish than any of the current heap of Laptops.RE: Geekbench: Psystar v. Mac mini and all three MacBooksWho cares about comparing apples to apples in this case?...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-15
- Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U
- As high-definition TVs continue to evolve with evermore-enticing technologies and doodads, the majority of buyers are still looking for the best bang for the buck. Panasonic's plasmas are usually at or near the top of the heap in that category, and the 42-inch TH-42PX80U is a great example. This set...
- Product reviews 2008-04-30
- Stardust Screensaver (zip)
- Stardust is a 2007 fantasy film starring an ensemble cast including Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, Nathaniel Parker, Peter O'Toole, David Kelly, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Mark Heap and Charlie Cox. Experience Stardust again and again on your desktop with this gorgeous free screensaver.
- Software downloads 2008-04-22
- Apple plugs Pwn2Own winning vulnerability
- Apple plugged the winning vulnerability in the Pwn2own contest on Wednesday in a Safari update. In an update for Safari (3.1.1), Apple fixed the following vulnerabilities: CVE-2008-1026, also known as the flaw that won hacker Charlie Miller $10,000.in the Pwn2Own contest at CanSecWest. This...
- Blog posts 2008-04-16
- Apple bolsters QuickTime defenses... or do they?
- A couple of great articles came out recently, one from Ryan Naraine and one from our very own Larry Dignan, about some of the defenses that Apple is trying to build into QuickTime to defend Vista users. As we've talked about here before, with Vista, it's all...
- Blog posts 2008-04-08
- The glide path to an open society
- The International Olympic Committee IOC, the Switzerland-based group responsible for Olympic event planning, has been putting pressure on China to open the Internet during the games in Beijing as part of host-nation commitment to media openness. As Ars Technica reported, the results have been decidedly mixed. Though Chinese Internet users...
- Blog posts 2008-04-07
- Interview with the Vista Pwn2Own contest winners
- Update 04/03/2008: I've updated the article as apparently the link to k2's blog was broken. Also, it's important to note that Derek Callaway was a part of this research and exploitation as well, and I neglected to mention that. So obviously our coverage of the Pwn2Own contest has...
- Blog posts 2008-04-02
- An April Fool's Day Tour de Farce
- It's April Fool's Day and the technology industry is going nuts trying to top the next farce. It's pretty bad when you don't trust information from legit sources and you almost think one of your favorite Wall Street prognosticators has changed his bear stripes. Here's the tour of...
- Blog posts 2008-04-01
- More details on the Pwn2Own Flash flaw that won the Vista machine
- So, I've been pretty surprised by the response to the discussion of the Flash flaw that allowed the Vista machine to be compromised in the Pwn2Own contest. I'm working on getting an interview with Alexander Sotirov and Shane Macaulay (see image, courtesy of ZDI's official site) to discuss the issue, but...
- Blog posts 2008-03-31
- Vista falls in Pwn2Own contests final day to a flaw in Adobe Flash
- Update 3/29/2008: Just to clarify in case it wasn't clear, this is a flaw in an Adobe product, Adobe Flash, and not in a Microsoft product or in the Windows Vista operating system. This is important to note, as it's not quite as glamorous as the flaw that took down...
- Blog posts 2008-03-29
- RealPlayer: More ActiveX security headaches
- RealPlayer has a another ActiveX vulnerability that leaves Windows users on IE at risk. Elazar Broad, who frequently flags ActiveX problems, issued an alert Sunday on message board lists. Broad is currently working on an exploit for it. Here's the message: Hash: SHA1...
- Blog posts 2008-03-11
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