Using dynamic execution traces and program invariants to enhance behavioral model inference

Abstract

Software behavioral models have proven useful for design, validation, verification, and maintenance. However, existing approaches for deriving such models sometimes overgeneralize what behavior is legal. We outline a novel approach that utilizes inferred likely program invariants and method invocation sequences to obtain an object-level model that describes legal execution sequences. The key insight is using program invariants to identify similar states in the sequences. We exemplify how our approach improves upon certain aspects of the state-of-the-art FSA-inference techniques.