Heap spray is a technique used in malicious software, or malware, to exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems. The technique is used by hackers to inject code into the system’s random access memory (RAM), bypassing security measures such as firewalls or antivirus software.
Heap spray works by creating multiple copies of the malicious code and inserting them into the system’s RAM. This “spray” of code causes the system to randomly allocate the code to different memory locations. The hope is that the code will eventually find an exploitable vulnerability, allowing the hacker to gain control of the system.
Heap spray is an advanced attack technique commonly used in combination with other techniques, such as buffer overflow, so attackers can gain access to systems without being detected. It is especially favored by attackers who are targeting systems with higher security levels, such as enterprise networks.
While heap spray is an effective way to bypass security measures, it can cause a significant strain on a computer system’s resources due to the number of copies of code that have to be created and stored in the RAM. Because of the strain on the system’s resources, heap spray is not often used without other attacks being employed at the same time.
