Checking for Race Conditions in File Accesses

Flaws due to race conditions in which the binding of a name to an object changes between repeated references occur in many programs. We examine one type of this flaw in the UNIX operating system, and describe a semantic method for detecting possible instances of this problem. We present the results of one such analysis in which a previously undiscovered race condition flaw was found. 1. Introduction Ordinary bugs and misconfigurations prevent applications or systems from functioning correctly. By contrast, security holes or vulnerabilities enable a user (called an attacker) to gain privileges, access to data, or the ability to interfere with others' work via by exploitation. Much research, especially in the field of intrusion detection [5][9], draws on characteristics of these attacks [12]. But many attacks can exploit a single vulnerability, implying that the characteristics of the flaws themselves are more fundemental and should be of interest. This work focuses on a semantic chara...