US 8,788,884 B2 · Automatic correction of program logic

Abstract

An approach to detection and repair of application level semantic errors in deployed software includes inferring aspects of correct operation of a program. For instance, a suite of examples of operations that are known or assumed to be correct are used to infer correct operation. Further operation of the program can be compared to results found during correct operation and the logic of the program can be augmented to ensure that aspects of further examples of operation of the program are sufficiently similar to the examples in the correct suite. In some examples, the similarity is based on identifying invariants that are satisfied at certain points in the program execution, and augmenting (e.g., “patching”) the logic includes adding tests to confirm that the invariants are satisfied in the new examples. In some examples, the logic invokes an automatic or semi-automatic error handling procedure if the test is not satisfied. Augmenting the logic in this way may prevent malicious parties from exploiting the semantic errors, and may prevent failures in execution of the programs that may have been avoided.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A computer implemented method for automatically patching errors in a software system that includes a first software component and a second software component including a set of interfaces, the method comprising:

monitoring a first set of executions of the software system including:
monitoring a plurality of error-free interactions between the first software component and the set of interfaces of the second software component;
identifying invariants from the plurality of error-free interactions, each invariant being associated with one or more contexts;
forming a data structure including an association of each interface in the set of interfaces with invariants associated with that interface;
and
monitoring a second set of executions of the software system including:
accepting the formed data structure;
for each interaction of a plurality of interactions between the first software component and the set of interfaces of the second software component in a second set of executions:
using the data structure to determine whether the interaction between the first software component and an interface of the set of interfaces violates any invariants associated with the interface and their associated contexts;
and
initiating an error control procedure including performing a known behavior in response to the interaction if it is determined that the interaction violates any invariants associated with the interface and their associated contexts.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic correction of program logic

Life of this patent

Automatic correction of program logic

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18