Exterminator: automatically correcting memory errors with high probability

Abstract

Programs written in C and C++ are susceptible to memory errors, including buffer overflows and dangling pointers. These errors, whichcan lead to crashes, erroneous execution, and security vulnerabilities, are notoriously costly to repair. Tracking down their location in the source code is difficult, even when the full memory state of the program is available. Once the errors are finally found, fixing them remains challenging: even for critical security-sensitive bugs, the average time between initial reports and the issuance of a patch is nearly one month.