Which technical control is best suited for detecting and preventing buffer overflows?

The selection of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) as the best technical control for detecting and preventing buffer overflows is grounded in its primary functions and capabilities. EDR solutions are specifically designed to monitor endpoint activities and behaviors, providing real-time visibility and intelligence on endpoint threats, including various types of exploits such as buffer overflows.

Buffer overflows occur when a program writes more data to a block of memory, or buffer, than it was allocated for. This can lead to unexpected behavior, including the execution of malicious code. EDR systems leverage advanced behavioral analytics to identify signs of such exploits through continuous monitoring of applications and system processes on endpoints. By analyzing the actions taken by processes, EDR can detect the unusual patterns that typically accompany a buffer overflow attack.

Moreover, EDR provides remediation options, allowing organizations to respond to detected incidents by containing or neutralizing threats immediately. This twofold approach—detection and response—makes EDR particularly effective in handling vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows.

In contrast, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) focuses on preventing sensitive data from being misused or leaked, which does not directly address the issues arising from buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Host Intrusion Detection Systems (HIDS) may detect certain adverse events related to