Users have reported that the website is not functioning correctly. The web developer has inspected log files and sees that a very large number (in the billions) was submitted just before the issue started occurring. Which of the following is the MOST likely situation that has occurred?

A web developer is responsible for a simple web application that books holiday accommodations. The front-facing web server offers an HTML form, which asks for a user’s age. This input gets placed into a signed integer variable and is then checked to ensure that the user is in the adult age range.

Users have reported that the website is not functioning correctly. The web developer has inspected log files and sees that a very large number (in the billions) was submitted just before the issue started occurring. Which of the following is the MOST likely situation that has occurred?
A . The age variable stored the large number and filled up disk space which stopped the application from continuing to function. Improper error handling prevented the application from recovering.
B . The age variable has had an integer overflow and was assigned a very small negative number which led to unpredictable application behavior. Improper error handling prevented the application from recovering.
C . Computers are able to store numbers well above “billions” in size. Therefore, the website issues are not related to the large number being input.
D . The application has crashed because a very large integer has lead to a “divide by zero”. Improper error handling prevented the application from recovering.

View Answer

Answer: B