How Can GDB Help Debug 'Double Free or Corruption' Errors in C ?

Tracking Down "Double Free or Corruption" Errors

When encountering "double free or corruption" errors in C programs, tracing the source of the issue can be challenging. While print statements may prove ineffective, GDB offers a potent solution.

Utilizing GDB for Error Tracking

To facilitate error detection, set the MALLOC_CHECK_ environment variable to 2, which activates glibc's error-tolerant malloc variant. This version ensures your program aborts immediately upon performing a double free.

Within GDB, execute the following command:

set environment MALLOC_CHECK_ 2

Afterward, run your program. GDB will terminate the execution at the point of the double free, displaying the problematic free() call in the backtrace.

Additional Resources

For further information on troubleshooting "double free or corruption" errors, refer to the man page for malloc(), available here:

man malloc

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