Function pointer analysis for C programs

Abstract

Function pointers are a feature of the C programming language whose use obscures the control flow of a program and makes programs hard to analyze. Existing pointer analyses are able to resolve function pointers, but lack the capabilities to precisely distinguish function pointer variables within complex data structures. The aim of this work is to develop a function pointer analysis which achieves this precision. It thereby allows a more precise analysis of programs with an intense usage of function pointers, as they are quite common in automotive software.