Data-Only Attacks Are Easier Than You Think
Researchers have developed a tool called Einstein that automates the creation of data-only attacks, challenging the previous belief that such exploits are too complex for practical use. These attacks manipulate program data rather than control flow, allowing malicious code execution even when traditional defenses like DEP and CFI are in place. The study demonstrates that low-effort attackers can now easily weaponize common memory safety bugs, urging vendors to rethink their security mitigation strategies.
- ▪Approximately 70% of security bugs reported by major tech companies are memory safety issues that can be exploited.
- ▪The Einstein tool automatically generates data-only attacks by allowing programs to execute intended code with malicious data inputs.
- ▪Data-only attacks bypass control-flow protections by corrupting variables like file paths to trigger unintended system actions.
- ▪The research was published at USENIX Security 2024 and highlights that these attacks are feasible for attackers with limited resources.
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| Original publisher | USENIX |
| Canonical URL | https://www.usenix.org/publications/loginonline/data-only-attacks-are-easier-you-think |
| Publication time | Wed, 23 Sep 2026 03:49:28 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-23T04:09:30.591Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-23T04:09:30.591Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
July 1, 2024ResearchAuthors: Brian Johannesmeyer, Herbert Bos, Cristiano Giuffrida, Asia SlowinskaArticle shepherded by: Rik Farrow Data-only attacks, those that do not affect a program’s control flow, have long been considered too sophisticated and niche to pose a practical threat. With our research, however, we have built a tool that automatically generates them with surprising ease. We explain how such attacks work, and why our tool, Einstein, calls upon both researchers and vendors alike to rethink their mitigation strategies. Suppose you are a hacker and you just found a bug that allows you to overwrite data in a victim program. Such a scenario is not uncommon: Microsoft, Google, and Mozilla report that about 70% of their security bugs are indeed such memory safety bugs [1, 2, 3].
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at USENIX.
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