Identifying and triaging software bugs through backward propagation of under-approximated values and empiric techniques

摘要

A software testing tool may use static verification analysis techniques to locate points (lines/events) in computer code at which an error may be present and points (lines/events) in the computer code that may be the underlying cause of the located error points. In one implementation, a device may perform a static verification analysis of computer code to locate a point in the code that causes an error in the execution of the computer code. The static analysis may be performed by analyzing a first set of possible execution paths of the computer code based on an over-approximation of states. The device may back-propagate, from the located point, through a second set of possible execution paths, where the second set of possible execution paths is obtained based on an under-approximation of the states that were over-approximated. Based on the back-propagation, the device may determine potential causes of the error. Additionally, in some implementations, empiric analysis techniques, based on semantic information for the computer code, may also be performed. The empiric analysis techniques may be used to assist in classifying the potential causes of the error.