• Slicing Technique
  • DL-based Slicing
  • LLM Slicing
  • Program Reduction
• Applications
  • Vulnerability Detection
    • Machine Learning
    • Recurring Bug
    • Fuzzing
  • Security Patch Identification
  • Verification
  • Type Inference
  • Regression Analysis
  • Data Augmentation
• Criterion

Slicing Technique

Survey

• On the Effects of Program Slicing for Vulnerability Detection during Code Inspection: Extended Abstract. ICSE-Companion [paper] 1) slicing helps in finding some lines related to the vulnerability, 2) once ‘some’ correct lines have been identified, slicing makes no significant difference in the number of correctly identified fragments.

DL-based Slicing

• A Learning-Based Approach to Static Program Slicing. OOPSLA 2024 [paper] use a pre-trained language model to understand the variable-statement relationship, and predict the forward/backword propability of each statement, then construct the slicing.

LLM Slicing

• Revealing the Unseen: AI Chain on LLMs for Predicting Implicit Data Flows to Generate Data Flow Graphs in Dynamically-Typed Code. TOSEM 2024 [paper] [code] use LLM directly slice python program to aid implicit data flow prediction.

Program Reduction

• LPR: Large Language Models-Aided Program Reduction. ISSTA 2024 [paper] evaluation: reduction size, time consumed, ablation.

Applications

Vulnerability Detection

Machine Learning

• 🌟 Learning Program Semantics for Vulnerability Detection via Vulnerability-Specific Inter-procedural Slicing. ESEC/FSE 2023 [paper] inter-procedural, slicing strategy (criterion, direction, graph) decided by vulnerability types.

• 🌟 VulChecker: Graph-based Vulnerability Localization in Source Code. USENIX Security 2023 [paper] backward slicing on PDG until pre-defined depth, criterion decided by vulnerability types.

Recurring Bug

• 🌟 MVP: Detecting Vulnerabilities using Patch-Enhanced Vulnerability Signatures. USENIX Security 2020 [paper] function-level backward+customized forward slicing on PDG based on changed statements, forward slicing graph decided by the changed statement.

• Detecting API Post-Handling Bugs Using Code and Description in Patches. USENIX Security 2023 [paper] function-level backward slicing on PDG based on post-operation statement.

Fuzzing

• SFuzz: Slice-based Fuzzing for Real-Time Operating Systems. CCS 2022 [paper] binary, forward slicing from source points on call graph (based on data flow) to sink points.

• BEACON: Directed Grey-Box Fuzzing with Provable Path Pruning. Oakland 2022 [paper] “perform a reachability analysis on the inter-procedural control flow graph and slice away paths that apparently cannot reach any target.”

Security Patch Identification

• GraphSPD: Graph-Based Security Patch Detection with Enriched Code Semantics. Oakland 2023 [paper] [website] [code] function-level bidirectional slicing on PDG based on deleted/added statements. slicing to reduce the size of patch context to assist the GNN-model in learning and identifying security patch characteristics.

• CoLeFunDa: Explainable Silent Vulnerability Fix Identification. ICSE 2023 [paper] data augmentation for silent fix detection (security patch identification), CWE classification and exploitability rating classification. function-level bidirectional slicing on CFG & DFG based on changed statements.

Verification

• Slicing Assisted Program Verification: An Empirical Study. TASE 2024 [paper]

Type Inference

• DLInfer: Deep Learning with Static Slicing for Python Type Inference. ICSE 2023 [paper] [code] python, slicing on DFG (def-use) based on given variable.

Data Augmentation

• CoLeFunDa: Explainable Silent Vulnerability Fix Identification. ICSE 2023 [paper] data augmentation for silent fix detection (security patch identification), CWE classification and exploitability rating classification. function-level bidirectional slicing on CFG & DFG based on changed statements.

Regression Analysis

• Responsibility in Context: On Applicability of Slicing in Semantic Regression Analysis. ICSE 2023 [paper]

Criterion (Points of Interest, PoI)

Vulnerability Type

• VulChecker: Graph-based Vulnerability Localization in Source Code. USENIX Security 2023 [paper] backward slicing on PDG until pre-defined depth, criterion decided by vulnerability types.

  • Integer Overflow: “call to a function that passes integer arguments”
  • Stack & Heap Overflow: “store instructions to local or dynamically allocated memory”
  • UAF: “memory accesses to dynamically allocated memory”
  • DF: “calls to the memory manager’s free function”