What is Buffer Underflow?

A buffer underflow occurs when a buffer, a temporary storage area for data, is read faster than it is filled. This leads to the buffer becoming empty, causing the program to pause or malfunction. It can result in data loss, system crashes, or vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit. Buffer underflows are a common result of slow data sources or interruptions in data flow and are particularly problematic in real-time applications like audio or video playback. They differ from buffer overflows, where excess data exceeds the buffer’s capacity.