Access-Based Localization with Bypassing

We present an extension of access-based localization technique to mitigate a substantial inefficiency in handling procedure calls. Recently, access-based localization was proposed as an effective way of tightly localizing abstract memories. However, it has a limitation in handling procedure calls: the localized input memory for a procedure contains not only memory locations accessed by the procedure but also those accessed by transitively called procedures. The weakness is especially exacerbated in the presence of recursive call cycles, which is common in analysis of realistic programs. In this paper, we present a technique, called bypassing, that mitigates the problem. Our technique localizes input memory states only with memory locations that the procedure directly accesses. Those parts not involved in analysis of the procedure are bypassed to transitively called procedures. In experiments with an industrial-strength global C static analyzer, the technique reduces the average analysis time by 42%. In particular, the technique is especially effective for programs that extensively use recursion: it saves analysis time by 77% on average.