Usually occurs when you attempt to copy data into a buffer without checking for sufficient space, causing data to be overwritten in neighboring cells.
RAM is divided into memory cells with each cell capable of storing a single byte on it's own. Applications use different sizes of the same data type to fulfill their computational needs, which can vary between a single or multiple (arrays) or dynamically allocated (pointers). Problems usually arise when software developers employ the use of arrays or pointers without verifying the destination buffer has sufficient or adequate space.
char Target[10];
char Input[20];
strcpy( Target, Input); // 1st Parameter: Destination, 2nd Parameter: Data
The code listed above plus certain conditions can exhibit the buffer-overflow corruption. If the coder doesn't take the necessary precautions to validate target/input, it will result in data being fed into adjacent memory cells corrupting whatever contents is stored within them.
Such results can be devastating as they affect overall system integrity.
