Computer Science ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (6A): 250600035-7.doi: 10.11896/jsjkx.250600035

• Information Security • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Symbolic Execution-based Automated Verification Method for Binary Vulnerabilities

ZHANG Yuanyuan1, LIU Tieming2, LIU Guoan2, GE Xueshuai2   

  1. 1 Unit 32738 of the Chinese People's Liberation Army,Zhengzhou 450001,China
    2 Information Engineering University,Zhengzhou 450001,China
  • Online:2026-06-16 Published:2026-06-12
  • About author:ZHANG Yuanyuan,born in 1979,senior engineer.Her main research interests include computer science and technology and information systems.
    GE Xueshuai,born in 1997,postgraduate.His main research interests include binary vulnerability mining and automated exploitation of vulnerabilities.
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(62276091) and Major Public Welfare Projects in Henan Province(201300311200).

Abstract: With the widespread application of software systems,the number of binary vulnerabilities continues to grow,posing serious threats to information security.Existing research lacks comprehensive solutions that organically integrate vulnerability detection,root cause analysis,and automated exploitation,resulting in inefficient and limited-coverage vulnerability verification.This study aims to propose an automated,cross-architecture binary vulnerability verification method that integrates the entire process from vulnerability detection and root cause localization to exploit generation,while producing structured verification reports.It designs an automated verification framework based on symbolic execution,which consists of five components:preprocessing,vulnerability detection,root cause analysis,exploit generation,and verification.By combining vulnerability-oriented and path-guided symbolic execution strategies with taint analysis and constraint solving,the framework supports multi-architecture analysis.Validation on 14 test samples demonstrate that the proposed method successfully detects various types of vulnerabilities including stack overflow,heap overflow,use-after-free(UAF),and format string vulnerabilities,accurately locates root causes at the basic-block level,and achieves automated exploit generation for most samples.This research not only enhances the automation and accuracy of binary vulnerability verification but also provides a reliable basis for vulnerability remediation and defense.Future work will focus on improving heap vulnerability exploit generation,expanding verification capabilities for large-scale applications,and exploring automated repair techniques.

Key words: Automated vulnerability verification, Vulnerability detection, Vulnerability root cause analysis, Exploitation of vulnera-bilities, Symbolic execution

CLC Number: 

  • TP309
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