c++ delete pointer issue, can still access data [closed]

by

Deleting a pointer doesn’t zero out any memory because to do so would take CPU cycles and that’s not what C++ is about. What you have there is a dangling pointer, and potentially a subtle error. Code like this can sometimes work for years only to crash at some point in the future when some minor change is made somewhere else in the program.

This is a good reason why you should NULL out pointers when you’ve deleted the memory they point to, that way you’ll get an immediate error if you try to dereference the pointer. It’s also sometimes a good idea to clear the memory pointed to using a function like memset(). This is particularly true if the memory pointed to contains something confidential (e.g. a plaintext password) which you don’t want other, possibly user facing, parts of your program from having access to.

More Related Contents:

  1. Difference between list<Observer*>* and list<Observer*> in C++ [closed]
  2. When were pointers added to C / C++? [closed]
  3. Odd error: ‘FILE *’ differs in levels of indirection from ‘FILE’ [closed]
  4. What does “dereferencing” a pointer mean?
  5. Function does not change passed pointer C++
  6. Why use pointers? [closed]
  7. Why are references not reseatable in C++
  8. How to return a std::string.c_str()
  9. how does the ampersand(&) sign work in c++? [duplicate]
  10. Converting multidimensional arrays to pointers in c++
  11. What is the default constructor for C++ pointer?
  12. Difference between pointer to a reference and reference to a pointer
  13. What’s the meaning of * and & when applied to variable names?
  14. Dereferencing an invalid pointer, then taking the address of the result
  15. What is the use of intptr_t?
  16. pointer to array c++
  17. Is Pointer-to- ” inner struct” member forbidden?
  18. What is a void pointer and what is a null pointer?
  19. Why doesn’t reference-to-member exist in C++?
  20. Using a C string gives a warning: “Address of stack memory associated with local variable returned”
  21. Why does pointer to int convert to void* but pointer to function convert to bool?
  22. Get base address of process
  23. Conversion from Derived** to Base**
  24. Static global variables in C++
  25. Where ampersand “&” can be put when passing argument by reference?
  26. What is the meaning of this star (*) symbol in C++? — Pointer to member
  27. non-const pointer argument to a const double pointer parameter
  28. C++ function called without object initialization
  29. Polymorphism & Pointers to arrays [duplicate]
  30. Does the standard mandate an lvalue-to-rvalue conversion of the pointer variable when applying indirection?

Leave a Comment