1==========================
2UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer
3==========================
4
5.. contents::
6   :local:
7
8Introduction
9============
10
11UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer (UBSan) is a fast undefined behavior detector.
12UBSan modifies the program at compile-time to catch various kinds of undefined
13behavior during program execution, for example:
14
15* Using misaligned or null pointer
16* Signed integer overflow
17* Conversion to, from, or between floating-point types which would
18  overflow the destination
19
20See the full list of available :ref:`checks <ubsan-checks>` below.
21
22UBSan has an optional run-time library which provides better error reporting.
23The checks have small runtime cost and no impact on address space layout or ABI.
24
25How to build
26============
27
28Build LLVM/Clang with `CMake <https://llvm.org/docs/CMake.html>`_.
29
30Usage
31=====
32
33Use ``clang++`` to compile and link your program with ``-fsanitize=undefined``
34flag. Make sure to use ``clang++`` (not ``ld``) as a linker, so that your
35executable is linked with proper UBSan runtime libraries. You can use ``clang``
36instead of ``clang++`` if you're compiling/linking C code.
37
38.. code-block:: console
39
40  % cat test.cc
41  int main(int argc, char **argv) {
42    int k = 0x7fffffff;
43    k += argc;
44    return 0;
45  }
46  % clang++ -fsanitize=undefined test.cc
47  % ./a.out
48  test.cc:3:5: runtime error: signed integer overflow: 2147483647 + 1 cannot be represented in type 'int'
49
50You can enable only a subset of :ref:`checks <ubsan-checks>` offered by UBSan,
51and define the desired behavior for each kind of check:
52
53* ``-fsanitize=...``: print a verbose error report and continue execution (default);
54* ``-fno-sanitize-recover=...``: print a verbose error report and exit the program;
55* ``-fsanitize-trap=...``: execute a trap instruction (doesn't require UBSan run-time support).
56
57Note that the ``trap`` / ``recover`` options do not enable the corresponding
58sanitizer, and in general need to be accompanied by a suitable ``-fsanitize=``
59flag.
60
61For example if you compile/link your program as:
62
63.. code-block:: console
64
65  % clang++ -fsanitize=signed-integer-overflow,null,alignment -fno-sanitize-recover=null -fsanitize-trap=alignment
66
67the program will continue execution after signed integer overflows, exit after
68the first invalid use of a null pointer, and trap after the first use of misaligned
69pointer.
70
71.. _ubsan-checks:
72
73Available checks
74================
75
76Available checks are:
77
78  -  ``-fsanitize=alignment``: Use of a misaligned pointer or creation
79     of a misaligned reference. Also sanitizes assume_aligned-like attributes.
80  -  ``-fsanitize=bool``: Load of a ``bool`` value which is neither
81     ``true`` nor ``false``.
82  -  ``-fsanitize=builtin``: Passing invalid values to compiler builtins.
83  -  ``-fsanitize=bounds``: Out of bounds array indexing, in cases
84     where the array bound can be statically determined. The check includes
85     ``-fsanitize=array-bounds`` and ``-fsanitize=local-bounds``. Note that
86     ``-fsanitize=local-bounds`` is not included in ``-fsanitize=undefined``.
87  -  ``-fsanitize=enum``: Load of a value of an enumerated type which
88     is not in the range of representable values for that enumerated
89     type.
90  -  ``-fsanitize=float-cast-overflow``: Conversion to, from, or
91     between floating-point types which would overflow the
92     destination. Because the range of representable values for all
93     floating-point types supported by Clang is [-inf, +inf], the only
94     cases detected are conversions from floating point to integer types.
95  -  ``-fsanitize=float-divide-by-zero``: Floating point division by
96     zero. This is undefined per the C and C++ standards, but is defined
97     by Clang (and by ISO/IEC/IEEE 60559 / IEEE 754) as producing either an
98     infinity or NaN value, so is not included in ``-fsanitize=undefined``.
99  -  ``-fsanitize=function``: Indirect call of a function through a
100     function pointer of the wrong type (Darwin/Linux, C++ and x86/x86_64
101     only).
102  -  ``-fsanitize=implicit-unsigned-integer-truncation``,
103     ``-fsanitize=implicit-signed-integer-truncation``: Implicit conversion from
104     integer of larger bit width to smaller bit width, if that results in data
105     loss. That is, if the demoted value, after casting back to the original
106     width, is not equal to the original value before the downcast.
107     The ``-fsanitize=implicit-unsigned-integer-truncation`` handles conversions
108     between two ``unsigned`` types, while
109     ``-fsanitize=implicit-signed-integer-truncation`` handles the rest of the
110     conversions - when either one, or both of the types are signed.
111     Issues caught by these sanitizers are not undefined behavior,
112     but are often unintentional.
113  -  ``-fsanitize=implicit-integer-sign-change``: Implicit conversion between
114     integer types, if that changes the sign of the value. That is, if the the
115     original value was negative and the new value is positive (or zero),
116     or the original value was positive, and the new value is negative.
117     Issues caught by this sanitizer are not undefined behavior,
118     but are often unintentional.
119  -  ``-fsanitize=integer-divide-by-zero``: Integer division by zero.
120  -  ``-fsanitize=nonnull-attribute``: Passing null pointer as a function
121     parameter which is declared to never be null.
122  -  ``-fsanitize=null``: Use of a null pointer or creation of a null
123     reference.
124  -  ``-fsanitize=nullability-arg``: Passing null as a function parameter
125     which is annotated with ``_Nonnull``.
126  -  ``-fsanitize=nullability-assign``: Assigning null to an lvalue which
127     is annotated with ``_Nonnull``.
128  -  ``-fsanitize=nullability-return``: Returning null from a function with
129     a return type annotated with ``_Nonnull``.
130  -  ``-fsanitize=objc-cast``: Invalid implicit cast of an ObjC object pointer
131     to an incompatible type. This is often unintentional, but is not undefined
132     behavior, therefore the check is not a part of the ``undefined`` group.
133     Currently only supported on Darwin.
134  -  ``-fsanitize=object-size``: An attempt to potentially use bytes which
135     the optimizer can determine are not part of the object being accessed.
136     This will also detect some types of undefined behavior that may not
137     directly access memory, but are provably incorrect given the size of
138     the objects involved, such as invalid downcasts and calling methods on
139     invalid pointers. These checks are made in terms of
140     ``__builtin_object_size``, and consequently may be able to detect more
141     problems at higher optimization levels.
142  -  ``-fsanitize=pointer-overflow``: Performing pointer arithmetic which
143     overflows, or where either the old or new pointer value is a null pointer
144     (or in C, when they both are).
145  -  ``-fsanitize=return``: In C++, reaching the end of a
146     value-returning function without returning a value.
147  -  ``-fsanitize=returns-nonnull-attribute``: Returning null pointer
148     from a function which is declared to never return null.
149  -  ``-fsanitize=shift``: Shift operators where the amount shifted is
150     greater or equal to the promoted bit-width of the left hand side
151     or less than zero, or where the left hand side is negative. For a
152     signed left shift, also checks for signed overflow in C, and for
153     unsigned overflow in C++. You can use ``-fsanitize=shift-base`` or
154     ``-fsanitize=shift-exponent`` to check only left-hand side or
155     right-hand side of shift operation, respectively.
156  -  ``-fsanitize=signed-integer-overflow``: Signed integer overflow, where the
157     result of a signed integer computation cannot be represented in its type.
158     This includes all the checks covered by ``-ftrapv``, as well as checks for
159     signed division overflow (``INT_MIN/-1``), but not checks for
160     lossy implicit conversions performed before the computation
161     (see ``-fsanitize=implicit-conversion``). Both of these two issues are
162     handled by ``-fsanitize=implicit-conversion`` group of checks.
163  -  ``-fsanitize=unreachable``: If control flow reaches an unreachable
164     program point.
165  -  ``-fsanitize=unsigned-integer-overflow``: Unsigned integer overflow, where
166     the result of an unsigned integer computation cannot be represented in its
167     type. Unlike signed integer overflow, this is not undefined behavior, but
168     it is often unintentional. This sanitizer does not check for lossy implicit
169     conversions performed before such a computation
170     (see ``-fsanitize=implicit-conversion``).
171  -  ``-fsanitize=vla-bound``: A variable-length array whose bound
172     does not evaluate to a positive value.
173  -  ``-fsanitize=vptr``: Use of an object whose vptr indicates that it is of
174     the wrong dynamic type, or that its lifetime has not begun or has ended.
175     Incompatible with ``-fno-rtti``. Link must be performed by ``clang++``, not
176     ``clang``, to make sure C++-specific parts of the runtime library and C++
177     standard libraries are present.
178
179You can also use the following check groups:
180  -  ``-fsanitize=undefined``: All of the checks listed above other than
181     ``float-divide-by-zero``, ``unsigned-integer-overflow``,
182     ``implicit-conversion``, ``local-bounds`` and the ``nullability-*`` group
183     of checks.
184  -  ``-fsanitize=undefined-trap``: Deprecated alias of
185     ``-fsanitize=undefined``.
186  -  ``-fsanitize=implicit-integer-truncation``: Catches lossy integral
187     conversions. Enables ``implicit-signed-integer-truncation`` and
188     ``implicit-unsigned-integer-truncation``.
189  -  ``-fsanitize=implicit-integer-arithmetic-value-change``: Catches implicit
190     conversions that change the arithmetic value of the integer. Enables
191     ``implicit-signed-integer-truncation`` and ``implicit-integer-sign-change``.
192  -  ``-fsanitize=implicit-conversion``: Checks for suspicious
193     behavior of implicit conversions. Enables
194     ``implicit-unsigned-integer-truncation``,
195     ``implicit-signed-integer-truncation``, and
196     ``implicit-integer-sign-change``.
197  -  ``-fsanitize=integer``: Checks for undefined or suspicious integer
198     behavior (e.g. unsigned integer overflow).
199     Enables ``signed-integer-overflow``, ``unsigned-integer-overflow``,
200     ``shift``, ``integer-divide-by-zero``,
201     ``implicit-unsigned-integer-truncation``,
202     ``implicit-signed-integer-truncation``, and
203     ``implicit-integer-sign-change``.
204  -  ``-fsanitize=nullability``: Enables ``nullability-arg``,
205     ``nullability-assign``, and ``nullability-return``. While violating
206     nullability does not have undefined behavior, it is often unintentional,
207     so UBSan offers to catch it.
208
209Volatile
210--------
211
212The ``null``, ``alignment``, ``object-size``, ``local-bounds``, and ``vptr`` checks do not apply
213to pointers to types with the ``volatile`` qualifier.
214
215Minimal Runtime
216===============
217
218There is a minimal UBSan runtime available suitable for use in production
219environments. This runtime has a small attack surface. It only provides very
220basic issue logging and deduplication, and does not support
221``-fsanitize=function`` and ``-fsanitize=vptr`` checking.
222
223To use the minimal runtime, add ``-fsanitize-minimal-runtime`` to the clang
224command line options. For example, if you're used to compiling with
225``-fsanitize=undefined``, you could enable the minimal runtime with
226``-fsanitize=undefined -fsanitize-minimal-runtime``.
227
228Stack traces and report symbolization
229=====================================
230If you want UBSan to print symbolized stack trace for each error report, you
231will need to:
232
233#. Compile with ``-g`` and ``-fno-omit-frame-pointer`` to get proper debug
234   information in your binary.
235#. Run your program with environment variable
236   ``UBSAN_OPTIONS=print_stacktrace=1``.
237#. Make sure ``llvm-symbolizer`` binary is in ``PATH``.
238
239Logging
240=======
241
242The default log file for diagnostics is "stderr". To log diagnostics to another
243file, you can set ``UBSAN_OPTIONS=log_path=...``.
244
245Silencing Unsigned Integer Overflow
246===================================
247To silence reports from unsigned integer overflow, you can set
248``UBSAN_OPTIONS=silence_unsigned_overflow=1``.  This feature, combined with
249``-fsanitize-recover=unsigned-integer-overflow``, is particularly useful for
250providing fuzzing signal without blowing up logs.
251
252Issue Suppression
253=================
254
255UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer is not expected to produce false positives.
256If you see one, look again; most likely it is a true positive!
257
258Disabling Instrumentation with ``__attribute__((no_sanitize("undefined")))``
259----------------------------------------------------------------------------
260
261You disable UBSan checks for particular functions with
262``__attribute__((no_sanitize("undefined")))``. You can use all values of
263``-fsanitize=`` flag in this attribute, e.g. if your function deliberately
264contains possible signed integer overflow, you can use
265``__attribute__((no_sanitize("signed-integer-overflow")))``.
266
267This attribute may not be
268supported by other compilers, so consider using it together with
269``#if defined(__clang__)``.
270
271Suppressing Errors in Recompiled Code (Blacklist)
272-------------------------------------------------
273
274UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer supports ``src`` and ``fun`` entity types in
275:doc:`SanitizerSpecialCaseList`, that can be used to suppress error reports
276in the specified source files or functions.
277
278Runtime suppressions
279--------------------
280
281Sometimes you can suppress UBSan error reports for specific files, functions,
282or libraries without recompiling the code. You need to pass a path to
283suppression file in a ``UBSAN_OPTIONS`` environment variable.
284
285.. code-block:: bash
286
287    UBSAN_OPTIONS=suppressions=MyUBSan.supp
288
289You need to specify a :ref:`check <ubsan-checks>` you are suppressing and the
290bug location. For example:
291
292.. code-block:: bash
293
294  signed-integer-overflow:file-with-known-overflow.cpp
295  alignment:function_doing_unaligned_access
296  vptr:shared_object_with_vptr_failures.so
297
298There are several limitations:
299
300* Sometimes your binary must have enough debug info and/or symbol table, so
301  that the runtime could figure out source file or function name to match
302  against the suppression.
303* It is only possible to suppress recoverable checks. For the example above,
304  you can additionally pass
305  ``-fsanitize-recover=signed-integer-overflow,alignment,vptr``, although
306  most of UBSan checks are recoverable by default.
307* Check groups (like ``undefined``) can't be used in suppressions file, only
308  fine-grained checks are supported.
309
310Supported Platforms
311===================
312
313UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer is supported on the following operating systems:
314
315* Android
316* Linux
317* NetBSD
318* FreeBSD
319* OpenBSD
320* macOS
321* Windows
322
323The runtime library is relatively portable and platform independent. If the OS
324you need is not listed above, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer may already work for
325it, or could be made to work with a minor porting effort.
326
327Current Status
328==============
329
330UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer is available on selected platforms starting from LLVM
3313.3. The test suite is integrated into the CMake build and can be run with
332``check-ubsan`` command.
333
334Additional Configuration
335========================
336
337UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer adds static check data for each check unless it is
338in trap mode. This check data includes the full file name. The option
339``-fsanitize-undefined-strip-path-components=N`` can be used to trim this
340information. If ``N`` is positive, file information emitted by
341UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer will drop the first ``N`` components from the file
342path. If ``N`` is negative, the last ``N`` components will be kept.
343
344Example
345-------
346
347For a file called ``/code/library/file.cpp``, here is what would be emitted:
348
349* Default (No flag, or ``-fsanitize-undefined-strip-path-components=0``): ``/code/library/file.cpp``
350* ``-fsanitize-undefined-strip-path-components=1``: ``code/library/file.cpp``
351* ``-fsanitize-undefined-strip-path-components=2``: ``library/file.cpp``
352* ``-fsanitize-undefined-strip-path-components=-1``: ``file.cpp``
353* ``-fsanitize-undefined-strip-path-components=-2``: ``library/file.cpp``
354
355More Information
356================
357
358* From LLVM project blog:
359  `What Every C Programmer Should Know About Undefined Behavior
360  <http://blog.llvm.org/2011/05/what-every-c-programmer-should-know.html>`_
361* From John Regehr's *Embedded in Academia* blog:
362  `A Guide to Undefined Behavior in C and C++
363  <https://blog.regehr.org/archives/213>`_
364