Detecting all potential null dereferences based on points-to property sound analysis. Issue 2 (17th February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dong, Yukun
• Is Part Of: International journal of computers and applications. Volume 42:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 187
• Page End: 195
• Publication Date: 2020-02-17
• Subjects: Static analysis -- defect detection -- null dereference -- abstract interpretation -- sound analysis; Computers -- Periodicals; Computer software -- Periodicals; Computer networks -- Periodicals; Multimedia systems -- Periodicals; Internet -- Periodicals; World Wide Web -- Periodicals; Minicomputers -- Periodicals; Microcomputers -- Periodicals; 004.05
• DOI: 10.1080/1206212X.2018.1476805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1206-212X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Null dereferences are a bane of programming in languages such as C, and static analysis is an effective method to detect them but often due to false negative. This paper proposes a points-to property sound analysis method to detect all potential null dereferences. First, the feature and detection method of null dereference of C programs are introduced. Second, an abstract memory model Region-based Symbolic Three-Valued Logic (RSTVL) is proposed to describe storage states of memory objects. Third, the property sound analysis theory based on abstract interpretation is proposed, which only analyze a single property of a program applies over-approximation strategy. Then, evaluations' rules of points-to property based on RSTVL are presented, which guarantees the points-to property of a pointer contains the actual points-to property and detect all potential null dereferences. Experiment results of five real projects show that this method could detect all potential null dereferences with acceptable false-positive rates and efficiency.