Due to many forms of static analysis being computationally undecidable, the mechanisms for performing it may not always terminate with the correct answer.
So, in the context of program optimization, there are two main strategies to handle computationally undecidable analysis: However, there is also a third strategy that is sometimes applicable for languages that are not completely specified, such as C. An optimizing compiler is at liberty to generate code that does anything at runtime – even crashes – if it encounters source code whose semantics are unspecified by the language standard in use.
The purpose of control-flow analysis is to obtain information about which functions can be called at various points during the execution of a program.
By identifying code blocks and loops a CFG becomes a starting point for compiler-made optimizations.
Data-flow analysis is a technique designed to gather information about the values at each point of the program and how they change over time.
Type checking can also help prevent vulnerabilities by ensuring that a signed value isn't attributed to an unsigned variable.
The tests are performed by executing the program with an input and evaluating its behavior and the produced output.
Even if no security requirements are specified, additional security testing should be performed to ensure that an attacker can’t tamper with the software and steal information, disrupt the software’s normal operations, or use it as a pivot to attack its users.