aliasing bug n.
A class of subtle programming errors that can arise in code
that does dynamic allocation, esp. via malloc(3) or
equivalent. If several pointers address (`aliases for') a given
hunk of storage, it may happen that the storage is freed or
reallocated (and thus moved) through one alias and then
referenced through another, which may lead to subtle (and
possibly intermittent) lossage depending on the state and the
allocation history of the malloc arena. Avoidable by use of allocation strategies
that never alias allocated core, or by use of higher-level
languages, such as LISP, which employ
a garbage collector (see GC). Also
called a stale pointer
bug. See also precedence lossage, smash the stack, fandango on core, memory leak, memory smash, overrun screw, spam.
Historical note: Though this term is nowadays associated with
C programming, it was already in use in a very similar sense in
the Algol-60 and FORTRAN communities in the 1960s.