What is exemplified by the following code snippet: <code>char *code = "AAAABBBBCCCCDDD"; void main() { char buf[8]; strcpy(buf, code); }</code>?

The provided code snippet illustrates a buffer overflow attack, which occurs when data exceeds the storage capacity of a buffer. In the code, a character buffer buf is defined with a size of 8 bytes. However, the string assigned to code contains 16 characters ("AAAABBBBCCCCDDD"). When the strcpy function is called, it attempts to copy the entire string into the buf variable without checking the size of the incoming data.

This action leads to overwriting adjacent memory locations beyond the allocated buffer size, resulting in potential unintended behavior or exploitation of the program. Attackers often use buffer overflow vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code, crash the program, or gain elevated privileges.

Understanding this context is critical for recognizing the risk associated with functions like strcpy, which do not perform bounds checking. Recognizing such vulnerabilities is essential for developing secure software and following best practices, such as using safer alternatives like strncpy, which allows specifying the maximum number of bytes to be copied.