Binary Type Confusion Detection via Class Hierarchy Restoration

The patent performs preliminary analysis of the binary code to restore class hierarchy information and identify valid typecasting paths before runtime execution. By pre-computing which typecasts are safe based on the restored class relationships, the system avoids the need for slow runtime type verification while still detecting type confusion bugs when they occur.

The patent creates a copy of the class hierarchy information by analyzing and restoring it from the compiled binary code itself. Instead of requiring the original source code, the system extracts and reconstructs class relationships, inheritance structures, and typecasting rules directly from the binary, enabling precise type confusion detection in black-box testing scenarios.

The patent introduces an intermediary layer that analyzes binary code to restore class hierarchy information and identify safe typecasting operations. This intermediary analysis enables the system to verify type safety without inserting slow runtime checks into the execution path, thus maintaining the speed benefits of static_cast while providing type confusion bug detection through separate binary analysis.