C++: Modernize use-after-free query using dataflow.

cpp/ql/src/Critical/UseAfterFree.ql

@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 /**
  * @name Potential use after free
  * @description An allocated memory block is used after it has been freed. Behavior in such cases is undefined and can cause memory corruption.
- * @kind problem
+ * @kind path-problem
+ * @precision medium
  * @id cpp/use-after-free
  * @problem.severity warning
  * @security-severity 9.3
@@ -11,56 +12,131 @@
  */
 
 import cpp
-import semmle.code.cpp.controlflow.StackVariableReachability
+import semmle.code.cpp.dataflow.new.DataFlow
+import semmle.code.cpp.ir.IR
+import FlowAfterFree
+import UseAfterFree::PathGraph
 
-/** `e` is an expression that frees the memory pointed to by `v`. */
-predicate isFreeExpr(Expr e, StackVariable v) {
-  exists(VariableAccess va | va.getTarget() = v |
-    exists(FunctionCall fc | fc = e |
-      fc.getTarget().hasGlobalOrStdName("free") and
-      va = fc.getArgument(0)
-    )
-    or
-    e.(DeleteExpr).getExpr() = va
-    or
-    e.(DeleteArrayExpr).getExpr() = va
+/**
+ * Holds if `call` is a call to a function that obviously
+ * doesn't dereference its `i`'th argument.
+ */
+private predicate externalCallNeverDereferences(FormattingFunctionCall call, int arg) {
+  exists(int formatArg |
+    pragma[only_bind_out](call.getFormatArgument(formatArg)) =
+      pragma[only_bind_out](call.getArgument(arg)) and
+    call.getFormat().(FormatLiteral).getConvSpec(formatArg) != "%s"
   )
 }
 
-/** `e` is an expression that (may) dereference `v`. */
-predicate isDerefExpr(Expr e, StackVariable v) {
-  v.getAnAccess() = e and dereferenced(e)
-  or
-  isDerefByCallExpr(_, _, e, v)
+predicate isUse0(DataFlow::Node n, Expr e) {
+  e = n.asExpr() and
+  not isFree(_, e, _) and
+  (
+    e = any(PointerDereferenceExpr pde).getOperand()
+    or
+    e = any(PointerFieldAccess pfa).getQualifier()
+    or
+    e = any(ArrayExpr ae).getArrayBase()
+    or
+    // Assume any function without a body will dereference the pointer
+    exists(int i, Call call, Function f |
+      n.asExpr() = call.getArgument(i) and
+      f = call.getTarget() and
+      not f.hasEntryPoint() and
+      // Exclude known functions we know won't dereference the pointer.
+      // For example, a call such as `printf("%p", myPointer)`.
+      not externalCallNeverDereferences(call, i)
+    )
+  )
 }
 
-/**
- * `va` is passed by value as (part of) the `i`th argument in
- * call `c`. The target function is either a library function
- * or a source code function that dereferences the relevant
- * parameter.
- */
-predicate isDerefByCallExpr(Call c, int i, VariableAccess va, StackVariable v) {
-  v.getAnAccess() = va and
-  va = c.getAnArgumentSubExpr(i) and
-  not c.passesByReference(i, va) and
-  (c.getTarget().hasEntryPoint() implies isDerefExpr(_, c.getTarget().getParameter(i)))
-}
+module ParameterSinks {
+  import semmle.code.cpp.ir.ValueNumbering
 
-class UseAfterFreeReachability extends StackVariableReachability {
-  UseAfterFreeReachability() { this = "UseAfterFree" }
+  predicate flowsToUse(DataFlow::Node n) {
+    isUse0(n, _)
+    or
+    exists(DataFlow::Node succ |
+      flowsToUse(succ) and
+      DataFlow::localFlowStep(n, succ)
+    )
+  }
 
-  override predicate isSource(ControlFlowNode node, StackVariable v) { isFreeExpr(node, v) }
+  private predicate flowsFromParam(DataFlow::Node n) {
+    flowsToUse(n) and
+    (
+      n.asParameter().getUnspecifiedType() instanceof PointerType
+      or
+      exists(DataFlow::Node prev |
+        flowsFromParam(prev) and
+        DataFlow::localFlowStep(prev, n)
+      )
+    )
+  }
 
-  override predicate isSink(ControlFlowNode node, StackVariable v) { isDerefExpr(node, v) }
+  private predicate step(DataFlow::Node n1, DataFlow::Node n2) {
+    flowsFromParam(n1) and
+    flowsFromParam(n2) and
+    DataFlow::localFlowStep(n1, n2)
+  }
 
-  override predicate isBarrier(ControlFlowNode node, StackVariable v) {
-    definitionBarrier(v, node) or
-    isFreeExpr(node, v)
+  private predicate paramToUse(DataFlow::Node n1, DataFlow::Node n2) = fastTC(step/2)(n1, n2)
+
+  private predicate hasFlow(
+    DataFlow::Node source, InitializeParameterInstruction init, DataFlow::Node sink
+  ) {
+    pragma[only_bind_out](source.asParameter()) = pragma[only_bind_out](init.getParameter()) and
+    paramToUse(source, sink) and
+    isUse0(sink, _)
+  }
+
+  private InitializeParameterInstruction getAnAlwaysDereferencedParameter0() {
+    exists(DataFlow::Node source, DataFlow::Node sink, IRBlock b1, int i1, IRBlock b2, int i2 |
+      hasFlow(pragma[only_bind_into](source), result, pragma[only_bind_into](sink)) and
+      source.hasIndexInBlock(b1, i1) and
+      sink.hasIndexInBlock(b2, i2) and
+      strictlyPostDominates(b2, i2, b1, i1)
+    )
+  }
+
+  private CallInstruction getAnAlwaysReachedCallInstruction(IRFunction f) {
+    result.getBlock().postDominates(f.getEntryBlock())
+  }
+
+  InitializeParameterInstruction getAnAlwaysDereferencedParameter() {
+    result = getAnAlwaysDereferencedParameter0()
+    or
+    exists(CallInstruction call, int i, InitializeParameterInstruction p |
+      pragma[only_bind_out](call.getStaticCallTarget()) =
+        pragma[only_bind_out](p.getEnclosingFunction()) and
+      p.hasIndex(i) and
+      p = getAnAlwaysDereferencedParameter() and
+      result = valueNumber(call.getArgument(i)).getAnInstruction() and
+      call = getAnAlwaysReachedCallInstruction(_)
+    )
   }
 }
 
-from UseAfterFreeReachability r, StackVariable v, Expr free, Expr e
-where r.reaches(free, v, e)
-select e, "Memory pointed to by '" + v.getName().toString() + "' may have $@.", free,
-  "been previously freed"
+predicate isUse(DataFlow::Node n, Expr e) {
+  isUse0(n, e)
+  or
+  exists(CallInstruction call, int i, InitializeParameterInstruction init |
+    n.asOperand().getDef().getUnconvertedResultExpression() = e and
+    init = ParameterSinks::getAnAlwaysDereferencedParameter() and
+    call.getArgumentOperand(i) = n.asOperand() and
+    init.hasIndex(i) and
+    init.getEnclosingFunction() = call.getStaticCallTarget()
+  )
+}
+
+predicate excludeNothing(DeallocationExpr dealloc, Expr e) { none() }
+
+module UseAfterFree = FlowFromFree<isUse/2, excludeNothing/2>;
+
+from UseAfterFree::PathNode source, UseAfterFree::PathNode sink, DeallocationExpr dealloc
+where
+  UseAfterFree::flowPath(source, sink) and
+  isFree(source.getNode(), _, dealloc)
+select sink.getNode(), source, sink, "Memory may have been previously freed by $@.", dealloc,
+  dealloc.toString()