Detecting and localizing security vulnerabilities in client-server application

• US 8,516,449 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Artzi, Shay, Dolby, Julian, Pistoia, Marco, Tip, Frank, Tripp, Omer
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROPHY, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US12/902,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20110030061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22- 25
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3604 Software analysis for verifying properties of programs byte-code verification G06F9/44589

Abstract

The present invention provides a system, computer program product, and a computer implemented method for analyzing a set of two or more communicating applications. The method includes executing a first application, such as a client application, and executing a second application, such as a server application. The applications are communicating with each other. A correlation is recorded between the applications and an execution characteristic exhibited on execution. An oracle is used to determine an analysis of the first application that has been executed. The execution of the first application causes a change of state in the second application and/or a change control flow in the second application. Code fragment in the first application and/or the second application are prioritized based on an evaluation produced by the oracle, and based on the correlation between the code fragments that have been executed and the execution characteristic exhibited by the code fragments.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for analyzing a set of two or more communicating applications comprising a plurality of code fragments, the computer-implemented method comprising:

dynamically executing or statically analyzing at least one of

a plurality of code fragments as part of a first application,

and a plurality of code fragments as part of a second application,

wherein the first application and the second application are communicating at least one of data and control with each other;

recording a correlation between each code fragment in the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application that have been executed and at least one execution characteristic that the code fragments exhibited on execution, wherein said correlation indicates a likelihood that the code fragment contributed to the execution characteristic;

performing with at least one of a static oracle and a dynamic oracle, an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments that comprise the first application that have been executed wherein said analysis includes mapping validation faults observed in an output of the first or the second program to a subset of the plurality of code fragments that generated the faults observed in the output; and

prioritizing the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application based on the mapping produced by the oracle, and based on the correlation between each code fragment in the plurality the code fragments that have been executed and the execution characteristic exhibited by the code fragments.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation produced by the oracle is a fault localization evaluation.

3. A computer-implemented method for analyzing a set of two or more communicating applications comprising a plurality of code fragments, the computer-implemented method comprising:

executing at least a plurality of code fragments as part of a first application and executing at least a plurality of the code fragments as part of a second application, wherein the first application and the second application are communicating with each other;

recording a correlation between each code fragment in the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application that have been executed and at least one execution characteristic that the code fragments exhibited on execution, wherein said correlation indicates a likelihood that the code fragment contributed to the execution characteristic;

determining with an oracle an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments that comprise the first application that have been executed wherein said analysis includes mapping validation faults observed in an output of the first or the second program to a subset of the plurality of code fragments that generated the faults observed in the output, and wherein an execution of the first application causes at least one of a change of state in the second application and a change control flow in the second application; and

prioritizing the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application based on the mapping produced by the oracle, and based on the correlation between each code fragment in the plurality code fragments that have been executed and the execution characteristic exhibited by the code fragments.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the evaluation produced by the oracle is a fault localization evaluation.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first application and the second application are communicating with each other via message passing.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first application and the second application are part of an N-tiered distributed program.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining with an oracle an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments that comprise the second application that have been executed.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

executing of the second application to cause a flow of information between the first application and the second application.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the determining with an oracle includes an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments for client-server security related information.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the security related information includes a violation of information flow.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the violation of information flow includes untrusted information flowing into a trusted application.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the violation of information flow includes private data flowing into a public application.

13. A computer program product for analyzing a set of two or more communicating applications comprising a plurality of code fragments, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer system, the computer readable medium storing software programming instructions capable of performing with a processor programming code to carry out;

executing at least a plurality of code fragments as part of a first application and executing at least a plurality of the code fragments as part of a second application, wherein the first application and the second application are communicating with each other;

recording a correlation between each code fragment in the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application that have been executed and at least one execution characteristic that the code fragments exhibited on execution, wherein said correlation indicates a likelihood that the code fragment contributed to the execution characteristic;

determining with an oracle an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments that comprise the first application that have been executed wherein said analysis includes mapping validation faults observed in an output of the first or the second program to a subset of the plurality of code fragments that generated the faults observed in the output, and wherein an execution of the first application causes at least one of a change of state in the second application and a change control flow in the second application; and

prioritizing the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application based on the mapping produced by the oracle, and based on the correlation between each code fragment in the plurality code fragments that have been executed and the execution characteristic exhibited by the code fragments.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the evaluation produced by the oracle is a fault localization evaluation.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first application and the second application are communicating with each other via message passing.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first application and the second application are part of an N-tiered distributed program.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

determining with an oracle an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments that comprise the second application that have been executed.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

executing of the second application to cause a flow of information between the first application and the second application.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the determining with an oracle includes an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments for client-server security related information.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the security related information includes a violation of information flow.

21. The computer program product of 18, wherein the violation of information flow includes untrusted information flowing into a trusted application.

22. The computer program product of 18, wherein the violation of information flow includes private data flowing into a public application.

23. A system for analyzing a set of two or more communicating applications comprising a plurality of code fragments, the system comprising:

a computer memory capable of storing machine instructions; and

a processor in communication with said computer memory, said processor capable of accessing said machine instructions to perform;

executing at least a plurality of code fragments as part of a first application and executing at least a plurality of the code fragments as part of a second application, wherein the first application and the second application are communicating with each other;

recording a correlation between each code fragment in the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application that have been executed and at least one execution characteristic that the code fragments exhibited on execution, wherein said correlation indicates a likelihood that the code fragment contributed to the execution characteristic;

determining with an oracle an analysis of at least a portion of the code fragments that comprise the first application that have been executed wherein said analysis includes mapping validation faults observed in an output of the first or the second program to a subset of the plurality of code fragments that generated the faults observed in the output, and wherein an execution of the first application causes at least one of a change of state in the second application and a change control flow in the second application; and

prioritizing the plurality of code fragments in at least one of the first application and the second application based on the mapping produced by the oracle, and based on the correlation between each code fragment in the plurality code fragments that have been executed and the execution characteristic exhibited by the code fragments.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the wherein the evaluation produced by the oracle is a fault localization evaluation.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the first application and the second application are communicating with each other via message passing.