What is typically the outcome of not addressing a memory leak in software?

Not addressing a memory leak in software typically leads to a system crash or slowdown because memory leaks result in the gradual consumption of system resources. When a program allocates memory for temporary use but fails to release that memory when it is no longer needed, the available memory for other processes becomes increasingly limited. Over time, as the application continues to run without freeing up the leaked memory, the system can become significantly slower due to resource exhaustion.

This degradation in performance can manifest in various ways, such as higher response times for applications, increased load times, and even eventual crashes when the system runs out of memory entirely. In severe cases, the operating system may force termination of processes to reclaim memory, leading to data loss or corruption. Addressing memory leaks is crucial to maintaining optimal performance and stability within software systems.