First,in this paper,the breadth and risk of buffer overflow vulnerabilities are introduced.Then,from the aspect of how to exploit a buffer overflow vulnerability,an overview is provided on the definition of buffer overflow vulnerabilities,memory organization in operation systems,and classification of buffer overflow attacks.Based on the research,buffer overflow analysis technologies are classified into three categories:automatic detection,automatic repair,and run-time protection.Each types of technologies are introduced,analyzed and discussed according to the classification.Finally,three possible research directions in the field of buffer overflow vulnerability analysis are discussed:(1) analyzing binary code;(2) using machine learning algorithms;(3) combining multiple technologies for analysis.