Articles/Linux

SIGSEGV Signal Explained (Signal 11)

What the Linux SIGSEGV signal does and when it's used.

Published October 24, 2026

SIGSEGV (signal number 11) sent when a process attempts to access memory it isn't allowed to (a segmentation fault).

Key points

  • Almost always indicates a bug in the program, like dereferencing a null or invalid pointer in a language without memory safety guarantees
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