Pretty-big-step-semantics-based Certified Abstract Interpretation

Abstract

We present a technique for deriving semantic program analyses from a natural semantics specification of the programming language. The technique is based on a particular kind of semantics called pretty-big-step semantics. We present a pretty-big-step semantics of a language with simple objects called O'While and specify a series of instrumentations of the semantics that explicitates the flows of values in a program. This leads to a semantics-based dependency analysis, at the core, e.g., of tainting analysis in software security. The formalization has been realized with the Coq proof assistant.