Available Checkers
The analyzer performs checks that are categorized into families or "checkers".
The default set of checkers covers a variety of checks targeted at finding security and API usage bugs, dead code, and other logic errors. See the :ref:`default-checkers` checkers list below.
In addition to these, the analyzer contains a number of :ref:`alpha-checkers` (aka alpha checkers). These checkers are under development and are switched off by default. They may crash or emit a higher number of false positives.
The :ref:`debug-checkers` package contains checkers for analyzer developers for debugging purposes.
Table of Contents
-
Default Checkers
-
core
- core.CallAndMessage (C, C++, ObjC)
- core.DivideZero (C, C++, ObjC)
- core.NonNullParamChecker (C, C++, ObjC)
- core.NullDereference (C, C++, ObjC)
- core.StackAddressEscape (C)
- core.UndefinedBinaryOperatorResult (C)
- core.VLASize (C)
- core.uninitialized.ArraySubscript (C)
- core.uninitialized.Assign (C)
- core.uninitialized.Branch (C)
- core.uninitialized.CapturedBlockVariable (C)
- core.uninitialized.UndefReturn (C)
- cplusplus
- deadcode
- nullability
-
optin
- optin.cplusplus.UninitializedObject (C++)
- optin.cplusplus.VirtualCall (C++)
- optin.mpi.MPI-Checker (C)
- optin.osx.cocoa.localizability.EmptyLocalizationContextChecker (ObjC)
- optin.osx.cocoa.localizability.NonLocalizedStringChecker (ObjC)
- optin.performance.GCDAntipattern
- optin.performance.Padding
- optin.portability.UnixAPI
-
security
- security.FloatLoopCounter (C)
- security.insecureAPI.UncheckedReturn (C)
- security.insecureAPI.bcmp (C)
- security.insecureAPI.bcopy (C)
- security.insecureAPI.bzero (C)
- security.insecureAPI.getpw (C)
- security.insecureAPI.gets (C)
- security.insecureAPI.mkstemp (C)
- security.insecureAPI.mktemp (C)
- security.insecureAPI.rand (C)
- security.insecureAPI.strcpy (C)
- security.insecureAPI.vfork (C)
- security.insecureAPI.DeprecatedOrUnsafeBufferHandling (C)
- unix
-
osx
- osx.API (C)
- osx.NumberObjectConversion (C, C++, ObjC)
- osx.ObjCProperty (ObjC)
- osx.SecKeychainAPI (C)
- osx.cocoa.AtSync (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.AutoreleaseWrite
- osx.cocoa.ClassRelease (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.Dealloc (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.IncompatibleMethodTypes (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.Loops
- osx.cocoa.MissingSuperCall (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.NSAutoreleasePool (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.NSError (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.NilArg (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.NonNilReturnValue
- osx.cocoa.ObjCGenerics (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.RetainCount (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.RunLoopAutoreleaseLeak
- osx.cocoa.SelfInit (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.SuperDealloc (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.UnusedIvars (ObjC)
- osx.cocoa.VariadicMethodTypes (ObjC)
- osx.coreFoundation.CFError (C)
- osx.coreFoundation.CFNumber (C)
- osx.coreFoundation.CFRetainRelease (C)
- osx.coreFoundation.containers.OutOfBounds (C)
- osx.coreFoundation.containers.PointerSizedValues (C)
- Fuchsia
- WebKit
-
core
-
Experimental Checkers
- alpha.clone
-
alpha.core
- alpha.core.C11Lock
- alpha.core.CallAndMessageUnInitRefArg (C,C++, ObjC)
- alpha.core.CastSize (C)
- alpha.core.CastToStruct (C, C++)
- alpha.core.Conversion (C, C++, ObjC)
- alpha.core.DynamicTypeChecker (ObjC)
- alpha.core.FixedAddr (C)
- alpha.core.IdenticalExpr (C, C++)
- alpha.core.PointerArithm (C)
- alpha.core.PointerSub (C)
- alpha.core.SizeofPtr (C)
- alpha.core.StackAddressAsyncEscape (C)
- alpha.core.TestAfterDivZero (C)
- alpha.cplusplus
- alpha.deadcode
- alpha.fuchsia
- alpha.llvm
- alpha.osx
- alpha.security
- alpha.security.cert
- alpha.security.cert.pos
-
alpha.unix
- alpha.unix.BlockInCriticalSection (C)
- alpha.unix.Chroot (C)
- alpha.unix.PthreadLock (C)
- alpha.unix.SimpleStream (C)
- alpha.unix.Stream (C)
- alpha.unix.cstring.BufferOverlap (C)
- alpha.unix.cstring.NotNullTerminated (C)
- alpha.unix.cstring.OutOfBounds (C)
- alpha.nondeterminism.PointerIteration (C++)
- alpha.nondeterminism.PointerSorting (C++)
- alpha.WebKit
- Debug Checkers
Default Checkers
core
Models core language features and contains general-purpose checkers such as division by zero, null pointer dereference, usage of uninitialized values, etc. These checkers must be always switched on as other checker rely on them.
core.CallAndMessage (C, C++, ObjC)
Check for logical errors for function calls and Objective-C message expressions (e.g., uninitialized arguments, null function pointers).
core.DivideZero (C, C++, ObjC)
Check for division by zero.
core.NonNullParamChecker (C, C++, ObjC)
Check for null pointers passed as arguments to a function whose arguments are references or marked with the 'nonnull' attribute.
int f(int *p) __attribute__((nonnull));
void test(int *p) {
if (!p)
f(p); // warn
}
core.NullDereference (C, C++, ObjC)
Check for dereferences of null pointers.
// C
void test(int *p) {
if (p)
return;
int x = p[0]; // warn
}
// C
void test(int *p) {
if (!p)
*p = 0; // warn
}
// C++
class C {
public:
int x;
};
void test() {
C *pc = 0;
int k = pc->x; // warn
}
// Objective-C
@interface MyClass {
@public
int x;
}
@end
void test() {
MyClass *obj = 0;
obj->x = 1; // warn
}
core.StackAddressEscape (C)
Check that addresses to stack memory do not escape the function.
char const *p;
void test() {
char const str[] = "string";
p = str; // warn
}
void* test() {
return __builtin_alloca(12); // warn
}
void test() {
static int *x;
int y;
x = &y; // warn
}
core.UndefinedBinaryOperatorResult (C)
Check for undefined results of binary operators.
void test() {
int x;
int y = x + 1; // warn: left operand is garbage
}
core.VLASize (C)
Check for declarations of Variable Length Arrays of undefined or zero size.
Check for declarations of VLA of undefined or zero size.
void test() {
int x;
int vla1[x]; // warn: garbage as size
}
void test() {
int x = 0;
int vla2[x]; // warn: zero size
}
core.uninitialized.ArraySubscript (C)
Check for uninitialized values used as array subscripts.
void test() {
int i, a[10];
int x = a[i]; // warn: array subscript is undefined
}
core.uninitialized.Assign (C)
Check for assigning uninitialized values.
void test() {
int x;
x |= 1; // warn: left expression is uninitialized
}
core.uninitialized.Branch (C)
Check for uninitialized values used as branch conditions.
void test() {
int x;
if (x) // warn
return;
}
core.uninitialized.CapturedBlockVariable (C)
Check for blocks that capture uninitialized values.
void test() {
int x;
^{ int y = x; }(); // warn
}
core.uninitialized.UndefReturn (C)
Check for uninitialized values being returned to the caller.
int test() {
int x;
return x; // warn
}
cplusplus
C++ Checkers.
cplusplus.InnerPointer (C++)
Check for inner pointers of C++ containers used after re/deallocation.
Many container methods in the C++ standard library are known to invalidate "references" (including actual references, iterators and raw pointers) to elements of the container. Using such references after they are invalidated causes undefined behavior, which is a common source of memory errors in C++ that this checker is capable of finding.
The checker is currently limited to std::string
objects and doesn't
recognize some of the more sophisticated approaches to passing unowned pointers
around, such as std::string_view
.
void deref_after_assignment() {
std::string s = "llvm";
const char *c = s.data(); // note: pointer to inner buffer of 'std::string' obtained here
s = "clang"; // note: inner buffer of 'std::string' reallocated by call to 'operator='
consume(c); // warn: inner pointer of container used after re/deallocation
}
const char *return_temp(int x) {
return std::to_string(x).c_str(); // warn: inner pointer of container used after re/deallocation
// note: pointer to inner buffer of 'std::string' obtained here
// note: inner buffer of 'std::string' deallocated by call to destructor
}
cplusplus.NewDelete (C++)
Check for double-free and use-after-free problems. Traces memory managed by new/delete.
cplusplus.NewDeleteLeaks (C++)
Check for memory leaks. Traces memory managed by new/delete.
void test() {
int *p = new int;
} // warn
cplusplus.PlacementNewChecker (C++)
Check if default placement new is provided with pointers to sufficient storage capacity.
#include <new>
void f() {
short s;
long *lp = ::new (&s) long; // warn
}
cplusplus.SelfAssignment (C++)
Checks C++ copy and move assignment operators for self assignment.
deadcode
Dead Code Checkers.
deadcode.DeadStores (C)
Check for values stored to variables that are never read afterwards.
void test() {
int x;
x = 1; // warn
}
The WarnForDeadNestedAssignments
option enables the checker to emit
warnings for nested dead assignments. You can disable with the
-analyzer-config deadcode.DeadStores:WarnForDeadNestedAssignments=false
.
Defaults to true.
Would warn for this e.g.: if ((y = make_int())) { }
nullability
Objective C checkers that warn for null pointer passing and dereferencing errors.
nullability.NullPassedToNonnull (ObjC)
Warns when a null pointer is passed to a pointer which has a _Nonnull type.
if (name != nil)
return;
// Warning: nil passed to a callee that requires a non-null 1st parameter
NSString *greeting = [@"Hello " stringByAppendingString:name];
nullability.NullReturnedFromNonnull (ObjC)
Warns when a null pointer is returned from a function that has _Nonnull return type.
- (nonnull id)firstChild {
id result = nil;
if ([_children count] > 0)
result = _children[0];
// Warning: nil returned from a method that is expected
// to return a non-null value
return result;
}
nullability.NullableDereferenced (ObjC)
Warns when a nullable pointer is dereferenced.
struct LinkedList {
int data;
struct LinkedList *next;
};
struct LinkedList * _Nullable getNext(struct LinkedList *l);
void updateNextData(struct LinkedList *list, int newData) {
struct LinkedList *next = getNext(list);
// Warning: Nullable pointer is dereferenced
next->data = 7;
}
nullability.NullablePassedToNonnull (ObjC)
Warns when a nullable pointer is passed to a pointer which has a _Nonnull type.
typedef struct Dummy { int val; } Dummy;
Dummy *_Nullable returnsNullable();
void takesNonnull(Dummy *_Nonnull);
void test() {
Dummy *p = returnsNullable();
takesNonnull(p); // warn
}
nullability.NullableReturnedFromNonnull (ObjC)
Warns when a nullable pointer is returned from a function that has _Nonnull return type.
optin
Checkers for portability, performance or coding style specific rules.
optin.cplusplus.UninitializedObject (C++)
This checker reports uninitialized fields in objects created after a constructor call. It doesn't only find direct uninitialized fields, but rather makes a deep inspection of the object, analyzing all of it's fields subfields. The checker regards inherited fields as direct fields, so one will receive warnings for uninitialized inherited data members as well.
// With Pedantic and CheckPointeeInitialization set to true
struct A {
struct B {
int x; // note: uninitialized field 'this->b.x'
// note: uninitialized field 'this->bptr->x'
int y; // note: uninitialized field 'this->b.y'
// note: uninitialized field 'this->bptr->y'
};
int *iptr; // note: uninitialized pointer 'this->iptr'
B b;
B *bptr;
char *cptr; // note: uninitialized pointee 'this->cptr'
A (B *bptr, char *cptr) : bptr(bptr), cptr(cptr) {}
};
void f() {
A::B b;
char c;
A a(&b, &c); // warning: 6 uninitialized fields
// after the constructor call
}
// With Pedantic set to false and
// CheckPointeeInitialization set to true
// (every field is uninitialized)
struct A {
struct B {
int x;
int y;
};
int *iptr;
B b;
B *bptr;
char *cptr;
A (B *bptr, char *cptr) : bptr(bptr), cptr(cptr) {}
};
void f() {
A::B b;
char c;
A a(&b, &c); // no warning
}
// With Pedantic set to true and
// CheckPointeeInitialization set to false
// (pointees are regarded as initialized)
struct A {
struct B {
int x; // note: uninitialized field 'this->b.x'
int y; // note: uninitialized field 'this->b.y'
};
int *iptr; // note: uninitialized pointer 'this->iptr'
B b;
B *bptr;
char *cptr;
A (B *bptr, char *cptr) : bptr(bptr), cptr(cptr) {}
};
void f() {
A::B b;
char c;
A a(&b, &c); // warning: 3 uninitialized fields
// after the constructor call
}
Options
This checker has several options which can be set from command line (e.g.
-analyzer-config optin.cplusplus.UninitializedObject:Pedantic=true
):
-
Pedantic
(boolean). If to false, the checker won't emit warnings for objects that don't have at least one initialized field. Defaults to false. -
NotesAsWarnings
(boolean). If set to true, the checker will emit a warning for each uninitialized field, as opposed to emitting one warning per constructor call, and listing the uninitialized fields that belongs to it in notes. Defaults to false. -
CheckPointeeInitialization
(boolean). If set to false, the checker will not analyze the pointee of pointer/reference fields, and will only check whether the object itself is initialized. Defaults to false. -
IgnoreRecordsWithField
(string). If supplied, the checker will not analyze structures that have a field with a name or type name that matches the given pattern. Defaults to "".
optin.cplusplus.VirtualCall (C++)
Check virtual function calls during construction or destruction.
class A {
public:
A() {
f(); // warn
}
virtual void f();
};
class A {
public:
~A() {
this->f(); // warn
}
virtual void f();
};
optin.mpi.MPI-Checker (C)
Checks MPI code.
void test() {
double buf = 0;
MPI_Request sendReq1;
MPI_Ireduce(MPI_IN_PLACE, &buf, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, MPI_SUM,
0, MPI_COMM_WORLD, &sendReq1);
} // warn: request 'sendReq1' has no matching wait.
void test() {
double buf = 0;
MPI_Request sendReq;
MPI_Isend(&buf, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, 0, 0, MPI_COMM_WORLD, &sendReq);
MPI_Irecv(&buf, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, 0, 0, MPI_COMM_WORLD, &sendReq); // warn
MPI_Isend(&buf, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, 0, 0, MPI_COMM_WORLD, &sendReq); // warn
MPI_Wait(&sendReq, MPI_STATUS_IGNORE);
}
void missingNonBlocking() {
int rank = 0;
MPI_Comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD, &rank);
MPI_Request sendReq1[10][10][10];
MPI_Wait(&sendReq1[1][7][9], MPI_STATUS_IGNORE); // warn
}
optin.osx.cocoa.localizability.EmptyLocalizationContextChecker (ObjC)
Check that NSLocalizedString macros include a comment for context.
- (void)test {
NSString *string = NSLocalizedString(@"LocalizedString", nil); // warn
NSString *string2 = NSLocalizedString(@"LocalizedString", @" "); // warn
NSString *string3 = NSLocalizedStringWithDefaultValue(
@"LocalizedString", nil, [[NSBundle alloc] init], nil,@""); // warn
}
optin.osx.cocoa.localizability.NonLocalizedStringChecker (ObjC)
Warns about uses of non-localized NSStrings passed to UI methods expecting localized NSStrings.
NSString *alarmText =
NSLocalizedString(@"Enabled", @"Indicates alarm is turned on");
if (!isEnabled) {
alarmText = @"Disabled";
}
UILabel *alarmStateLabel = [[UILabel alloc] init];
// Warning: User-facing text should use localized string macro
[alarmStateLabel setText:alarmText];
optin.performance.GCDAntipattern
Check for performance anti-patterns when using Grand Central Dispatch.
optin.performance.Padding
Check for excessively padded structs.
optin.portability.UnixAPI
Finds implementation-defined behavior in UNIX/Posix functions.
security
Security related checkers.
security.FloatLoopCounter (C)
Warn on using a floating point value as a loop counter (CERT: FLP30-C, FLP30-CPP).
void test() {
for (float x = 0.1f; x <= 1.0f; x += 0.1f) {} // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.UncheckedReturn (C)
Warn on uses of functions whose return values must be always checked.
void test() {
setuid(1); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.bcmp (C)
Warn on uses of the 'bcmp' function.
void test() {
bcmp(ptr0, ptr1, n); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.bcopy (C)
Warn on uses of the 'bcopy' function.
void test() {
bcopy(src, dst, n); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.bzero (C)
Warn on uses of the 'bzero' function.
void test() {
bzero(ptr, n); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.getpw (C)
Warn on uses of the 'getpw' function.
void test() {
char buff[1024];
getpw(2, buff); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.gets (C)
Warn on uses of the 'gets' function.
void test() {
char buff[1024];
gets(buff); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.mkstemp (C)
Warn when 'mkstemp' is passed fewer than 6 X's in the format string.
void test() {
mkstemp("XX"); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.mktemp (C)
Warn on uses of the mktemp
function.
void test() {
char *x = mktemp("/tmp/zxcv"); // warn: insecure, use mkstemp
}
security.insecureAPI.rand (C)
Warn on uses of inferior random number generating functions (only if arc4random function is available):
drand48, erand48, jrand48, lcong48, lrand48, mrand48, nrand48, random, rand_r
.
void test() {
random(); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.strcpy (C)
Warn on uses of the strcpy
and strcat
functions.
void test() {
char x[4];
char *y = "abcd";
strcpy(x, y); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.vfork (C)
Warn on uses of the 'vfork' function.
void test() {
vfork(); // warn
}
security.insecureAPI.DeprecatedOrUnsafeBufferHandling (C)
Warn on occurrences of unsafe or deprecated buffer handling functions, which now have a secure variant: sprintf, vsprintf, scanf, wscanf, fscanf, fwscanf, vscanf, vwscanf, vfscanf, vfwscanf, sscanf, swscanf, vsscanf, vswscanf, swprintf, snprintf, vswprintf, vsnprintf, memcpy, memmove, strncpy, strncat, memset
void test() {
char buf [5];
strncpy(buf, "a", 1); // warn
}
unix
POSIX/Unix checkers.
unix.API (C)
Check calls to various UNIX/Posix functions: open, pthread_once, calloc, malloc, realloc, alloca
.
unix.Malloc (C)
Check for memory leaks, double free, and use-after-free problems. Traces memory managed by malloc()/free().
unix.MallocSizeof (C)
Check for dubious malloc
arguments involving sizeof
.
void test() {
long *p = malloc(sizeof(short));
// warn: result is converted to 'long *', which is
// incompatible with operand type 'short'
free(p);
}
unix.MismatchedDeallocator (C, C++)
Check for mismatched deallocators.
unix.Vfork (C)
Check for proper usage of vfork
.
int test(int x) {
pid_t pid = vfork(); // warn
if (pid != 0)
return 0;
switch (x) {
case 0:
pid = 1;
execl("", "", 0);
_exit(1);
break;
case 1:
x = 0; // warn: this assignment is prohibited
break;
case 2:
foo(); // warn: this function call is prohibited
break;
default:
return 0; // warn: return is prohibited
}
while(1);
}
unix.cstring.BadSizeArg (C)
Check the size argument passed into C string functions for common erroneous patterns. Use -Wno-strncat-size
compiler option to mute other strncat
-related compiler warnings.
void test() {
char dest[3];
strncat(dest, """""""""""""""""""""""""*", sizeof(dest));
// warn: potential buffer overflow
}
unix.cstrisng.NullArg (C)
Check for null pointers being passed as arguments to C string functions:
strlen, strnlen, strcpy, strncpy, strcat, strncat, strcmp, strncmp, strcasecmp, strncasecmp
.
int test() {
return strlen(0); // warn
}
osx
macOS checkers.
osx.API (C)
Check for proper uses of various Apple APIs.
void test() {
dispatch_once_t pred = 0;
dispatch_once(&pred, ^(){}); // warn: dispatch_once uses local
}
osx.NumberObjectConversion (C, C++, ObjC)
Check for erroneous conversions of objects representing numbers into numbers.
NSNumber *photoCount = [albumDescriptor objectForKey:@"PhotoCount"];
// Warning: Comparing a pointer value of type 'NSNumber *'
// to a scalar integer value
if (photoCount > 0) {
[self displayPhotos];
}
osx.ObjCProperty (ObjC)
Check for proper uses of Objective-C properties.
NSNumber *photoCount = [albumDescriptor objectForKey:@"PhotoCount"];
// Warning: Comparing a pointer value of type 'NSNumber *'
// to a scalar integer value
if (photoCount > 0) {
[self displayPhotos];
}
osx.SecKeychainAPI (C)
Check for proper uses of Secure Keychain APIs.
osx.cocoa.AtSync (ObjC)
Check for nil pointers used as mutexes for @synchronized.
void test(id x) {
if (!x)
@synchronized(x) {} // warn: nil value used as mutex
}
void test() {
id y;
@synchronized(y) {} // warn: uninitialized value used as mutex
}
osx.cocoa.AutoreleaseWrite
Warn about potentially crashing writes to autoreleasing objects from different autoreleasing pools in Objective-C.
osx.cocoa.ClassRelease (ObjC)
Check for sending 'retain', 'release', or 'autorelease' directly to a Class.
@interface MyClass : NSObject
@end
void test(void) {
[MyClass release]; // warn
}
osx.cocoa.Dealloc (ObjC)
Warn about Objective-C classes that lack a correct implementation of -dealloc
osx.cocoa.IncompatibleMethodTypes (ObjC)
Warn about Objective-C method signatures with type incompatibilities.
@interface MyClass1 : NSObject
- (int)foo;
@end
@implementation MyClass1
- (int)foo { return 1; }
@end
@interface MyClass2 : MyClass1
- (float)foo;
@end
@implementation MyClass2
- (float)foo { return 1.0; } // warn
@end
osx.cocoa.Loops
Improved modeling of loops using Cocoa collection types.
osx.cocoa.MissingSuperCall (ObjC)
Warn about Objective-C methods that lack a necessary call to super.
@interface Test : UIViewController
@end
@implementation test
- (void)viewDidLoad {} // warn
@end
osx.cocoa.NSAutoreleasePool (ObjC)
Warn for suboptimal uses of NSAutoreleasePool in Objective-C GC mode.
void test() {
NSAutoreleasePool *pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
[pool release]; // warn
}
osx.cocoa.NSError (ObjC)
Check usage of NSError parameters.
@interface A : NSObject
- (void)foo:(NSError """""""""""""""""""""""")error;
@end
@implementation A
- (void)foo:(NSError """""""""""""""""""""""")error {
// warn: method accepting NSError"""""""""""""""""""""""" should have a non-void
// return value
}
@end
@interface A : NSObject
- (BOOL)foo:(NSError """""""""""""""""""""""")error;
@end
@implementation A
- (BOOL)foo:(NSError """""""""""""""""""""""")error {
*error = 0; // warn: potential null dereference
return 0;
}
@end
osx.cocoa.NilArg (ObjC)
Check for prohibited nil arguments to ObjC method calls.
- caseInsensitiveCompare:
- compare:
- compare:options:
- compare:options:range:
- compare:options:range:locale:
- componentsSeparatedByCharactersInSet:
- initWithFormat:
NSComparisonResult test(NSString *s) {
NSString *aString = nil;
return [s caseInsensitiveCompare:aString];
// warn: argument to 'NSString' method
// 'caseInsensitiveCompare:' cannot be nil
}
osx.cocoa.NonNilReturnValue
Models the APIs that are guaranteed to return a non-nil value.
osx.cocoa.ObjCGenerics (ObjC)
Check for type errors when using Objective-C generics.
NSMutableArray *names = [NSMutableArray array];
NSMutableArray *birthDates = names;
// Warning: Conversion from value of type 'NSDate *'
// to incompatible type 'NSString *'
[birthDates addObject: [NSDate date]];
osx.cocoa.RetainCount (ObjC)
Check for leaks and improper reference count management
void test() {
NSString *s = [[NSString alloc] init]; // warn
}
CFStringRef test(char *bytes) {
return CFStringCreateWithCStringNoCopy(
0, bytes, NSNEXTSTEPStringEncoding, 0); // warn
}
osx.cocoa.RunLoopAutoreleaseLeak
Check for leaked memory in autorelease pools that will never be drained.
osx.cocoa.SelfInit (ObjC)
Check that 'self' is properly initialized inside an initializer method.
@interface MyObj : NSObject {
id x;
}
- (id)init;
@end
@implementation MyObj
- (id)init {
[super init];
x = 0; // warn: instance variable used while 'self' is not
// initialized
return 0;
}
@end
@interface MyObj : NSObject
- (id)init;
@end
@implementation MyObj
- (id)init {
[super init];
return self; // warn: returning uninitialized 'self'
}
@end
osx.cocoa.SuperDealloc (ObjC)
Warn about improper use of '[super dealloc]' in Objective-C.
@interface SuperDeallocThenReleaseIvarClass : NSObject {
NSObject *_ivar;
}
@end
@implementation SuperDeallocThenReleaseIvarClass
- (void)dealloc {
[super dealloc];
[_ivar release]; // warn
}
@end
osx.cocoa.UnusedIvars (ObjC)
Warn about private ivars that are never used.
@interface MyObj : NSObject {
@private
id x; // warn
}
@end
@implementation MyObj
@end
osx.cocoa.VariadicMethodTypes (ObjC)
Check for passing non-Objective-C types to variadic collection initialization methods that expect only Objective-C types.
void test() {
[NSSet setWithObjects:@"Foo", "Bar", nil];
// warn: argument should be an ObjC pointer type, not 'char *'
}
osx.coreFoundation.CFError (C)
Check usage of CFErrorRef* parameters
void test(CFErrorRef *error) {
// warn: function accepting CFErrorRef* should have a
// non-void return
}
int foo(CFErrorRef *error) {
*error = 0; // warn: potential null dereference
return 0;
}
osx.coreFoundation.CFNumber (C)
Check for proper uses of CFNumber APIs.
CFNumberRef test(unsigned char x) {
return CFNumberCreate(0, kCFNumberSInt16Type, &x);
// warn: 8 bit integer is used to initialize a 16 bit integer
}
osx.coreFoundation.CFRetainRelease (C)
Check for null arguments to CFRetain/CFRelease/CFMakeCollectable.
void test(CFTypeRef p) {
if (!p)
CFRetain(p); // warn
}
void test(int x, CFTypeRef p) {
if (p)
return;
CFRelease(p); // warn
}
osx.coreFoundation.containers.OutOfBounds (C)
Checks for index out-of-bounds when using 'CFArray' API.
void test() {
CFArrayRef A = CFArrayCreate(0, 0, 0, &kCFTypeArrayCallBacks);
CFArrayGetValueAtIndex(A, 0); // warn
}
osx.coreFoundation.containers.PointerSizedValues (C)
Warns if 'CFArray', 'CFDictionary', 'CFSet' are created with non-pointer-size values.
void test() {
int x[] = { 1 };
CFArrayRef A = CFArrayCreate(0, (const void """""""""""""""""""""""")x, 1,
&kCFTypeArrayCallBacks); // warn
}
Fuchsia
Fuchsia is an open source capability-based operating system currently being developed by Google. This section describes checkers that can find various misuses of Fuchsia APIs.
fuchsia.HandleChecker
Handles identify resources. Similar to pointers they can be leaked, double freed, or use after freed. This check attempts to find such problems.
void checkLeak08(int tag) {
zx_handle_t sa, sb;
zx_channel_create(0, &sa, &sb);
if (tag)
zx_handle_close(sa);
use(sb); // Warn: Potential leak of handle
zx_handle_close(sb);
}
WebKit
WebKit is an open-source web browser engine available for macOS, iOS and Linux. This section describes checkers that can find issues in WebKit codebase.
Most of the checkers focus on memory management for which WebKit uses custom implementation of reference counted smartpointers.
- Checkers are formulated in terms related to ref-counting:
-
-
Ref-counted type is either
Ref<T>
orRefPtr<T>
. -
Ref-countable type is any type that implements
ref()
andderef()
methods asRefPtr<>
is a template (i. e. relies on duck typing). - Uncounted type is ref-countable but not ref-counted type.
-
Ref-counted type is either
webkit.RefCntblBaseVirtualDtor
All uncounted types used as base classes must have a virtual destructor.
Ref-counted types hold their ref-countable data by a raw pointer and allow implicit upcasting from ref-counted pointer to derived type to ref-counted pointer to base type. This might lead to an object of (dynamic) derived type being deleted via pointer to the base class type which C++ standard defines as UB in case the base class doesn't have virtual destructor [expr.delete]
.
struct RefCntblBase {
void ref() {}
void deref() {}
};
struct Derived : RefCntblBase { }; // warn
webkit.NoUncountedMemberChecker
Raw pointers and references to uncounted types can't be used as class members. Only ref-counted types are allowed.
struct RefCntbl {
void ref() {}
void deref() {}
};
struct Foo {
RefCntbl * ptr; // warn
RefCntbl & ptr; // warn
// ...
};
webkit.UncountedLambdaCapturesChecker
Raw pointers and references to uncounted types can't be captured in lambdas. Only ref-counted types are allowed.
struct RefCntbl {
void ref() {}
void deref() {}
};
void foo(RefCntbl* a, RefCntbl& b) {
[&, a](){ // warn about 'a'
do_something(b); // warn about 'b'
};
};
Experimental Checkers
These are checkers with known issues or limitations that keep them from being on by default. They are likely to have false positives. Bug reports and especially patches are welcome.
alpha.clone
alpha.clone.CloneChecker (C, C++, ObjC)
Reports similar pieces of code.
void log();
int max(int a, int b) { // warn
log();
if (a > b)
return a;
return b;
}
int maxClone(int x, int y) { // similar code here
log();
if (x > y)
return x;
return y;
}
alpha.core.BoolAssignment (ObjC)
Warn about assigning non-{0,1} values to boolean variables.
void test() {
BOOL b = -1; // warn
}
alpha.core
alpha.core.C11Lock
Similarly to :ref:`alpha.unix.PthreadLock <alpha-unix-PthreadLock>`, checks for
the locking/unlocking of mtx_t
mutexes.
mtx_t mtx1;
void bad1(void)
{
mtx_lock(&mtx1);
mtx_lock(&mtx1); // warn: This lock has already been acquired
}
alpha.core.CallAndMessageUnInitRefArg (C,C++, ObjC)
Check for logical errors for function calls and Objective-C message expressions (e.g., uninitialized arguments, null function pointers, and pointer to undefined variables).
void test(void) {
int t;
int &p = t;
int &s = p;
int &q = s;
foo(q); // warn
}
void test(void) {
int x;
foo(&x); // warn
}
alpha.core.CastSize (C)
Check when casting a malloc'ed type T
, whether the size is a multiple of the size of T
.
void test() {
int *x = (int *) malloc(11); // warn
}
alpha.core.CastToStruct (C, C++)
Check for cast from non-struct pointer to struct pointer.
// C
struct s {};
void test(int *p) {
struct s *ps = (struct s *) p; // warn
}
// C++
class c {};
void test(int *p) {
c *pc = (c *) p; // warn
}
alpha.core.Conversion (C, C++, ObjC)
Loss of sign/precision in implicit conversions.
void test(unsigned U, signed S) {
if (S > 10) {
if (U < S) {
}
}
if (S < -10) {
if (U < S) { // warn (loss of sign)
}
}
}
void test() {
long long A = 1LL << 60;
short X = A; // warn (loss of precision)
}
alpha.core.DynamicTypeChecker (ObjC)
Check for cases where the dynamic and the static type of an object are unrelated.
id date = [NSDate date];
// Warning: Object has a dynamic type 'NSDate *' which is
// incompatible with static type 'NSNumber *'"
NSNumber *number = date;
[number doubleValue];
alpha.core.FixedAddr (C)
Check for assignment of a fixed address to a pointer.
void test() {
int *p;
p = (int *) 0x10000; // warn
}
alpha.core.IdenticalExpr (C, C++)
Warn about unintended use of identical expressions in operators.
// C
void test() {
int a = 5;
int b = a | 4 | a; // warn: identical expr on both sides
}
// C++
bool f(void);
void test(bool b) {
int i = 10;
if (f()) { // warn: true and false branches are identical
do {
i--;
} while (f());
} else {
do {
i--;
} while (f());
}
}
alpha.core.PointerArithm (C)
Check for pointer arithmetic on locations other than array elements.
void test() {
int x;
int *p;
p = &x + 1; // warn
}
alpha.core.PointerSub (C)
Check for pointer subtractions on two pointers pointing to different memory chunks.
void test() {
int x, y;
int d = &y - &x; // warn
}
alpha.core.SizeofPtr (C)
Warn about unintended use of sizeof()
on pointer expressions.
struct s {};
int test(struct s *p) {
return sizeof(p);
// warn: sizeof(ptr) can produce an unexpected result
}
alpha.core.StackAddressAsyncEscape (C)
Check that addresses to stack memory do not escape the function that involves dispatch_after or dispatch_async.
This checker is a part of core.StackAddressEscape
, but is temporarily disabled until some false positives are fixed.
dispatch_block_t test_block_inside_block_async_leak() {
int x = 123;
void (^inner)(void) = ^void(void) {
int y = x;
++y;
};
void (^outer)(void) = ^void(void) {
int z = x;
++z;
inner();
};
return outer; // warn: address of stack-allocated block is captured by a
// returned block
}
alpha.core.TestAfterDivZero (C)
Check for division by variable that is later compared against 0. Either the comparison is useless or there is division by zero.
void test(int x) {
var = 77 / x;
if (x == 0) { } // warn
}
alpha.cplusplus
alpha.cplusplus.DeleteWithNonVirtualDtor (C++)
Reports destructions of polymorphic objects with a non-virtual destructor in their base class.
NonVirtual *create() {
NonVirtual *x = new NVDerived(); // note: conversion from derived to base
// happened here
return x;
}
void sink(NonVirtual *x) {
delete x; // warn: destruction of a polymorphic object with no virtual
// destructor
}
alpha.cplusplus.EnumCastOutOfRange (C++)
Check for integer to enumeration casts that could result in undefined values.
enum TestEnum {
A = 0
};
void foo() {
TestEnum t = static_cast(-1);
// warn: the value provided to the cast expression is not in
// the valid range of values for the enum
alpha.cplusplus.InvalidatedIterator (C++)
Check for use of invalidated iterators.
void bad_copy_assign_operator_list1(std::list &L1,
const std::list &L2) {
auto i0 = L1.cbegin();
L1 = L2;
*i0; // warn: invalidated iterator accessed
}
alpha.cplusplus.IteratorRange (C++)
Check for iterators used outside their valid ranges.
void simple_bad_end(const std::vector &v) {
auto i = v.end();
*i; // warn: iterator accessed outside of its range
}
alpha.cplusplus.MismatchedIterator (C++)
Check for use of iterators of different containers where iterators of the same container are expected.
void bad_insert3(std::vector &v1, std::vector &v2) {
v2.insert(v1.cbegin(), v2.cbegin(), v2.cend()); // warn: container accessed
// using foreign
// iterator argument
v1.insert(v1.cbegin(), v1.cbegin(), v2.cend()); // warn: iterators of
// different containers
// used where the same
// container is
// expected
v1.insert(v1.cbegin(), v2.cbegin(), v1.cend()); // warn: iterators of
// different containers
// used where the same
// container is
// expected
}
alpha.cplusplus.MisusedMovedObject (C++)
Method calls on a moved-from object and copying a moved-from object will be reported.
struct A {
void foo() {}
};
void f() {
A a;
A b = std::move(a); // note: 'a' became 'moved-from' here
a.foo(); // warn: method call on a 'moved-from' object 'a'
}
alpha.deadcode
alpha.deadcode.UnreachableCode (C, C++)
Check unreachable code.
// C
int test() {
int x = 1;
while(x);
return x; // warn
}
// C++
void test() {
int a = 2;
while (a > 1)
a--;
if (a > 1)
a++; // warn
}
// Objective-C
void test(id x) {
return;
[x retain]; // warn
}
alpha.cplusplus.SmartPtr (C++)
Check for dereference of null smart pointers.
void deref_smart_ptr() {
std::unique_ptr<int> P;
*P; // warn: dereference of a default constructed smart unique_ptr
}
alpha.fuchsia
alpha.fuchsia.Lock
Similarly to :ref:`alpha.unix.PthreadLock <alpha-unix-PthreadLock>`, checks for the locking/unlocking of fuchsia mutexes.
spin_lock_t mtx1;
void bad1(void)
{
spin_lock(&mtx1);
spin_lock(&mtx1); // warn: This lock has already been acquired
}
alpha.llvm
alpha.llvm.Conventions
Check code for LLVM codebase conventions:
- A StringRef should not be bound to a temporary std::string whose lifetime is shorter than the StringRef's.
- Clang AST nodes should not have fields that can allocate memory.
alpha.osx
alpha.osx.cocoa.DirectIvarAssignment (ObjC)
Check for direct assignments to instance variables.
@interface MyClass : NSObject {}
@property (readonly) id A;
- (void) foo;
@end
@implementation MyClass
- (void) foo {
_A = 0; // warn
}
@end
alpha.osx.cocoa.DirectIvarAssignmentForAnnotatedFunctions (ObjC)
Check for direct assignments to instance variables in
the methods annotated with objc_no_direct_instance_variable_assignment
.
@interface MyClass : NSObject {}
@property (readonly) id A;
- (void) fAnnotated __attribute__((
annotate("objc_no_direct_instance_variable_assignment")));
- (void) fNotAnnotated;
@end
@implementation MyClass
- (void) fAnnotated {
_A = 0; // warn
}
- (void) fNotAnnotated {
_A = 0; // no warn
}
@end
alpha.osx.cocoa.InstanceVariableInvalidation (ObjC)
Check that the invalidatable instance variables are invalidated in the methods annotated with objc_instance_variable_invalidator.
@protocol Invalidation <NSObject>
- (void) invalidate
__attribute__((annotate("objc_instance_variable_invalidator")));
@end
@interface InvalidationImpObj : NSObject <Invalidation>
@end
@interface SubclassInvalidationImpObj : InvalidationImpObj {
InvalidationImpObj *var;
}
- (void)invalidate;
@end
@implementation SubclassInvalidationImpObj
- (void) invalidate {}
@end
// warn: var needs to be invalidated or set to nil
alpha.osx.cocoa.MissingInvalidationMethod (ObjC)
Check that the invalidation methods are present in classes that contain invalidatable instance variables.
@protocol Invalidation <NSObject>
- (void)invalidate
__attribute__((annotate("objc_instance_variable_invalidator")));
@end
@interface NeedInvalidation : NSObject <Invalidation>
@end
@interface MissingInvalidationMethodDecl : NSObject {
NeedInvalidation *Var; // warn
}
@end
@implementation MissingInvalidationMethodDecl
@end
alpha.osx.cocoa.localizability.PluralMisuseChecker (ObjC)
Warns against using one vs. many plural pattern in code when generating localized strings.
NSString *reminderText =
NSLocalizedString(@"None", @"Indicates no reminders");
if (reminderCount == 1) {
// Warning: Plural cases are not supported across all languages.
// Use a .stringsdict file instead
reminderText =
NSLocalizedString(@"1 Reminder", @"Indicates single reminder");
} else if (reminderCount >= 2) {
// Warning: Plural cases are not supported across all languages.
// Use a .stringsdict file instead
reminderText =
[NSString stringWithFormat:
NSLocalizedString(@"%@ Reminders", @"Indicates multiple reminders"),
reminderCount];
}
alpha.security
alpha.security.cert
SEI CERT checkers which tries to find errors based on their C coding rules.
alpha.security.cert.pos
SEI CERT checkers of POSIX C coding rules.
alpha.security.cert.pos.34c
Finds calls to the putenv
function which pass a pointer to an automatic variable as the argument.
int func(const char *var) {
char env[1024];
int retval = snprintf(env, sizeof(env),"TEST=%s", var);
if (retval < 0 || (size_t)retval >= sizeof(env)) {
/* Handle error */
}
return putenv(env); // putenv function should not be called with auto variables
}
alpha.security.ArrayBound (C)
Warn about buffer overflows (older checker).
void test() {
char *s = "";
char c = s[1]; // warn
}
struct seven_words {
int c[7];
};
void test() {
struct seven_words a, *p;
p = &a;
p[0] = a;
p[1] = a;
p[2] = a; // warn
}
// note: requires unix.Malloc or
// alpha.unix.MallocWithAnnotations checks enabled.
void test() {
int *p = malloc(12);
p[3] = 4; // warn
}
void test() {
char a[2];
int *b = (int*)a;
b[1] = 3; // warn
}
alpha.security.ArrayBoundV2 (C)
Warn about buffer overflows (newer checker).
void test() {
char *s = "";
char c = s[1]; // warn
}
void test() {
int buf[100];
int *p = buf;
p = p + 99;
p[1] = 1; // warn
}
// note: compiler has internal check for this.
// Use -Wno-array-bounds to suppress compiler warning.
void test() {
int buf[100][100];
buf[0][-1] = 1; // warn
}
// note: requires alpha.security.taint check turned on.
void test() {
char s[] = "abc";
int x = getchar();
char c = s[x]; // warn: index is tainted
}
alpha.security.MallocOverflow (C)
Check for overflows in the arguments to malloc().
void test(int n) {
void *p = malloc(n * sizeof(int)); // warn
}
void test2(int n) {
if (n > 100) // gives an upper-bound
return;
void *p = malloc(n * sizeof(int)); // no warning
}
alpha.security.MmapWriteExec (C)
Warn on mmap() calls that are both writable and executable.
void test(int n) {
void *c = mmap(NULL, 32, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE | PROT_EXEC,
MAP_PRIVATE | MAP_ANON, -1, 0);
// warn: Both PROT_WRITE and PROT_EXEC flags are set. This can lead to
// exploitable memory regions, which could be overwritten with malicious
// code
}
alpha.security.ReturnPtrRange (C)
Check for an out-of-bound pointer being returned to callers.
static int A[10];
int *test() {
int *p = A + 10;
return p; // warn
}
int test(void) {
int x;
return x; // warn: undefined or garbage returned
}
alpha.security.taint.TaintPropagation (C, C++)
Generate taint information used by other checkers. A data is tainted when it comes from an unreliable source.
void test() {
char x = getchar(); // 'x' marked as tainted
system(&x); // warn: untrusted data is passed to a system call
}
// note: compiler internally checks if the second param to
// sprintf is a string literal or not.
// Use -Wno-format-security to suppress compiler warning.
void test() {
char s[10], buf[10];
fscanf(stdin, "%s", s); // 's' marked as tainted
sprintf(buf, s); // warn: untrusted data as a format string
}
void test() {
size_t ts;
scanf("%zd", &ts); // 'ts' marked as tainted
int *p = (int *)malloc(ts * sizeof(int));
// warn: untrusted data as buffer size
}
alpha.unix
alpha.unix.BlockInCriticalSection (C)
Check for calls to blocking functions inside a critical section.
Applies to: lock, unlock, sleep, getc, fgets, read, recv, pthread_mutex_lock,
`` pthread_mutex_unlock, mtx_lock, mtx_timedlock, mtx_trylock, mtx_unlock, lock_guard, unique_lock``
void test() {
std::mutex m;
m.lock();
sleep(3); // warn: a blocking function sleep is called inside a critical
// section
m.unlock();
}
alpha.unix.Chroot (C)
Check improper use of chroot.
void f();
void test() {
chroot("/usr/local");
f(); // warn: no call of chdir("/") immediately after chroot
}
alpha.unix.PthreadLock (C)
Simple lock -> unlock checker.
Applies to: pthread_mutex_lock, pthread_rwlock_rdlock, pthread_rwlock_wrlock, lck_mtx_lock, lck_rw_lock_exclusive
lck_rw_lock_shared, pthread_mutex_trylock, pthread_rwlock_tryrdlock, pthread_rwlock_tryrwlock, lck_mtx_try_lock,
lck_rw_try_lock_exclusive, lck_rw_try_lock_shared, pthread_mutex_unlock, pthread_rwlock_unlock, lck_mtx_unlock, lck_rw_done
.
pthread_mutex_t mtx;
void test() {
pthread_mutex_lock(&mtx);
pthread_mutex_lock(&mtx);
// warn: this lock has already been acquired
}
lck_mtx_t lck1, lck2;
void test() {
lck_mtx_lock(&lck1);
lck_mtx_lock(&lck2);
lck_mtx_unlock(&lck1);
// warn: this was not the most recently acquired lock
}
lck_mtx_t lck1, lck2;
void test() {
if (lck_mtx_try_lock(&lck1) == 0)
return;
lck_mtx_lock(&lck2);
lck_mtx_unlock(&lck1);
// warn: this was not the most recently acquired lock
}
alpha.unix.SimpleStream (C)
Check for misuses of stream APIs. Check for misuses of stream APIs: fopen, fclose
(demo checker, the subject of the demo (Slides ,
Video) by Anna Zaks and Jordan Rose presented at the
2012 LLVM Developers' Meeting).
void test() {
FILE *F = fopen("myfile.txt", "w");
} // warn: opened file is never closed
void test() {
FILE *F = fopen("myfile.txt", "w");
if (F)
fclose(F);
fclose(F); // warn: closing a previously closed file stream
}
alpha.unix.Stream (C)
Check stream handling functions: fopen, tmpfile, fclose, fread, fwrite, fseek, ftell, rewind, fgetpos,
fsetpos, clearerr, feof, ferror, fileno
.
void test() {
FILE *p = fopen("foo", "r");
} // warn: opened file is never closed
void test() {
FILE *p = fopen("foo", "r");
fseek(p, 1, SEEK_SET); // warn: stream pointer might be NULL
fclose(p);
}
void test() {
FILE *p = fopen("foo", "r");
if (p)
fseek(p, 1, 3);
// warn: third arg should be SEEK_SET, SEEK_END, or SEEK_CUR
fclose(p);
}
void test() {
FILE *p = fopen("foo", "r");
fclose(p);
fclose(p); // warn: already closed
}
void test() {
FILE *p = tmpfile();
ftell(p); // warn: stream pointer might be NULL
fclose(p);
}
alpha.unix.cstring.BufferOverlap (C)
Checks for overlap in two buffer arguments. Applies to: memcpy, mempcpy
.
void test() {
int a[4] = {0};
memcpy(a + 2, a + 1, 8); // warn
}
alpha.unix.cstring.NotNullTerminated (C)
Check for arguments which are not null-terminated strings; applies to: strlen, strnlen, strcpy, strncpy, strcat, strncat
.
void test() {
int y = strlen((char *)&test); // warn
}
alpha.unix.cstring.OutOfBounds (C)
Check for out-of-bounds access in string functions; applies to:`` strncopy, strncat``.
void test() {
int y = strlen((char *)&test); // warn
}
alpha.nondeterminism.PointerIteration (C++)
Check for non-determinism caused by iterating unordered containers of pointers.
void test() {
int a = 1, b = 2;
std::unordered_set<int *> UnorderedPtrSet = {&a, &b};
for (auto i : UnorderedPtrSet) // warn
f(i);
}
alpha.nondeterminism.PointerSorting (C++)
Check for non-determinism caused by sorting of pointers.
void test() {
int a = 1, b = 2;
std::vector<int *> V = {&a, &b};
std::sort(V.begin(), V.end()); // warn
}
alpha.WebKit
alpha.webkit.UncountedCallArgsChecker
The goal of this rule is to make sure that lifetime of any dynamically allocated ref-countable object passed as a call argument spans past the end of the call. This applies to call to any function, method, lambda, function pointer or functor. Ref-countable types aren't supposed to be allocated on stack so we check arguments for parameters of raw pointers and references to uncounted types.
Here are some examples of situations that we warn about as they might be potentially unsafe. The logic is that either we're able to guarantee that an argument is safe or it's considered if not a bug then bug-prone.
RefCountable* provide_uncounted(); void consume(RefCountable*); // In these cases we can't make sure callee won't directly or indirectly call `deref()` on the argument which could make it unsafe from such point until the end of the call. void foo1() { consume(provide_uncounted()); // warn } void foo2() { RefCountable* uncounted = provide_uncounted(); consume(uncounted); // warn }
Although we are enforcing member variables to be ref-counted by webkit.NoUncountedMemberChecker any method of the same class still has unrestricted access to these. Since from a caller's perspective we can't guarantee a particular member won't get modified by callee (directly or indirectly) we don't consider values obtained from members safe.
Note: It's likely this heuristic could be made more precise with fewer false positives - for example calls to free functions that don't have any parameter other than the pointer should be safe as the callee won't be able to tamper with the member unless it's a global variable.
struct Foo { RefPtr<RefCountable> member; void consume(RefCountable*) { /* ... */ } void bugprone() { consume(member.get()); // warn } };
The implementation of this rule is a heuristic - we define a whitelist of kinds of values that are considered safe to be passed as arguments. If we can't prove an argument is safe it's considered an error.
Allowed kinds of arguments:
-
values obtained from ref-counted objects (including temporaries as those survive the call too)
RefCountable* provide_uncounted(); void consume(RefCountable*); void foo() { RefPtr<RefCountable> rc = makeRef(provide_uncounted()); consume(rc.get()); // ok consume(makeRef(provide_uncounted()).get()); // ok }
-
forwarding uncounted arguments from caller to callee
void foo(RefCountable& a) { bar(a); // ok }
Caller of
foo()
is responsible fora
's lifetime. -
this
pointervoid Foo::foo() { baz(this); // ok }
Caller of
foo()
is responsible for keeping the memory pointed to bythis
pointer safe. -
constants
foo(nullptr, NULL, 0); // ok
We also define a set of safe transformations which if passed a safe value as an input provide (usually it's the return value) a safe value (or an object that provides safe values). This is also a heuristic.
- constructors of ref-counted types (including factory methods)
- getters of ref-counted types
- member overloaded operators
- casts
- unary operators like
&
or*
alpha.webkit.UncountedLocalVarsChecker
The goal of this rule is to make sure that any uncounted local variable is backed by a ref-counted object with lifetime that is strictly larger than the scope of the uncounted local variable. To be on the safe side we require the scope of an uncounted variable to be embedded in the scope of ref-counted object that backs it.
These are examples of cases that we consider safe:
void foo1() { RefPtr<RefCountable> counted; // The scope of uncounted is EMBEDDED in the scope of counted. { RefCountable* uncounted = counted.get(); // ok } } void foo2(RefPtr<RefCountable> counted_param) { RefCountable* uncounted = counted_param.get(); // ok } void FooClass::foo_method() { RefCountable* uncounted = this; // ok }
Here are some examples of situations that we warn about as they might be potentially unsafe. The logic is that either we're able to guarantee that an argument is safe or it's considered if not a bug then bug-prone.
void foo1() { RefCountable* uncounted = new RefCountable; // warn } RefCountable* global_uncounted; void foo2() { RefCountable* uncounted = global_uncounted; // warn } void foo3() { RefPtr<RefCountable> counted; // The scope of uncounted is not EMBEDDED in the scope of counted. RefCountable* uncounted = counted.get(); // warn }
We don't warn about these cases - we don't consider them necessarily safe but since they are very common and usually safe we'd introduce a lot of false positives otherwise:
- variable defined in condition part of an `if`
statement
- variable defined in init statement condition of a `for`
statement
For the time being we also don't warn about uninitialized uncounted local variables.
Debug Checkers
debug
Checkers used for debugging the analyzer. :doc:`developer-docs/DebugChecks` page contains a detailed description.
debug.AnalysisOrder
Print callbacks that are called during analysis in order.
debug.ConfigDumper
Dump config table.
debug.DumpCFG Display
Control-Flow Graphs.
debug.DumpCallGraph
Display Call Graph.
debug.DumpCalls
Print calls as they are traversed by the engine.
debug.DumpDominators
Print the dominance tree for a given CFG.
debug.DumpLiveVars
Print results of live variable analysis.
debug.DumpTraversal
Print branch conditions as they are traversed by the engine.
debug.ExprInspection
Check the analyzer's understanding of expressions.
debug.Stats
Emit warnings with analyzer statistics.
debug.TaintTest
Mark tainted symbols as such.
debug.ViewCFG
View Control-Flow Graphs using GraphViz.
debug.ViewCallGraph
View Call Graph using GraphViz.
debug.ViewExplodedGraph
View Exploded Graphs using GraphViz.