Relations, Constraints and Abstractions: Using the Tools of Logic Programming in the Security Industry

TL;DR

This paper explores how logic programming tools like relations, constraints, and abstractions are valuable not only in programming but also in reverse engineering and bug detection in security.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of logic programming concepts in reverse engineering and security bug discovery, extending their application beyond traditional programming tasks.

Findings

Relations, constraints, and abstractions aid in bug discovery.

Logic programming tools can be used for program verification.

Enhanced understanding of security vulnerabilities through logic abstractions.

Abstract

Logic programming is sometimes described as relational programming: a paradigm in which the programmer specifies and composes n-ary relations using systems of constraints. An advanced logic programming environment will provide tools that abstract these relations to transform, optimise, or even verify the correctness of a logic program. This talk will show that these concepts, namely relations, constraints and abstractions, turn out to also be important in the reverse engineer process that underpins the discovery of bugs within the security industry.