On: “To be safe allocate 5 bytes more than you need”

[mark-r]

How do you get that confidence without tracking down the root cause?

[SkyPuncher → mark-r]

I never said that you don't track down a root cause.

Once you identify a root cause, you can assess the scope. "allocate 5 bytes more than you need" is a pretty broad reaching fix. I'd be very hesitant to implement it without proper time to fix.