CURLcode Curl_parse_login_details(const char *login, const size_t len,
                                  char **userp, char **passwdp,
                                  char **optionsp)
{
  CURLcode result = CURLE_OK;
  char *ubuf = NULL;
  char *pbuf = NULL;
  char *obuf = NULL;
  const char *psep = NULL;
  const char *osep = NULL;
  size_t ulen;
  size_t plen;
  size_t olen;

  /* Attempt to find the password separator */
  if(passwdp) {
    psep = strchr(login, ':');

    /* Within the constraint of the login string */
    if(psep >= login + len)
      psep = NULL;
  }

  /* Attempt to find the options separator */
  if(optionsp) {
    osep = strchr(login, ';');

    /* Within the constraint of the login string */
    if(osep >= login + len)
      osep = NULL;
  }

  /* Calculate the portion lengths */
  ulen = (psep ?
          (size_t)(osep && psep > osep ? osep - login : psep - login) :
          (osep ? (size_t)(osep - login) : len));
  plen = (psep ?
          (osep && osep > psep ? (size_t)(osep - psep) :
                                 (size_t)(login + len - psep)) - 1 : 0);
  olen = (osep ?
          (psep && psep > osep ? (size_t)(psep - osep) :
                                 (size_t)(login + len - osep)) - 1 : 0);

  /* Allocate the user portion buffer */
  if(userp && ulen) {
    ubuf = malloc(ulen + 1);
    if(!ubuf)
      result = CURLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
  }

  /* Allocate the password portion buffer */
  if(!result && passwdp && plen) {
    pbuf = malloc(plen + 1);
    if(!pbuf) {
      free(ubuf);
      result = CURLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
    }
  }

  /* Allocate the options portion buffer */
  if(!result && optionsp && olen) {
    obuf = malloc(olen + 1);
    if(!obuf) {
      free(pbuf);
      free(ubuf);
      result = CURLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
    }
  }

  if(!result) {
    /* Store the user portion if necessary */
    if(ubuf) {
      memcpy(ubuf, login, ulen);
      ubuf[ulen] = '\0';
      Curl_safefree(*userp);
      *userp = ubuf;
    }

    /* Store the password portion if necessary */
    if(pbuf) {
      memcpy(pbuf, psep + 1, plen);
      pbuf[plen] = '\0';
      Curl_safefree(*passwdp);
      *passwdp = pbuf;
    }

    /* Store the options portion if necessary */
    if(obuf) {
      memcpy(obuf, osep + 1, olen);
      obuf[olen] = '\0';
      Curl_safefree(*optionsp);
      *optionsp = obuf;
    }
  }

  return result;
}

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.