Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer system performs a method for verifying the validity or invalidity of a software routine by learning appropriate invariants at each program point. A computer system chooses an abstract domain that is sufficiently precise to express the appropriate invariants. The computer system associates an inconsistency measure with any two abstract elements of the abstract domain. The computer system searches for a set of local invariants configured to optimize a total inconsistency measure which includes a sum of local inconsistency measures. The computer system optimizes the total inconsistency measure for all input/output pairs of the software routine. In one embodiment, the optimization of total inconsistency is achieved by the computer system which repeatedly replaces a locally inconsistent invariant with a new invariant, randomly selected among the possible invariants which are locally less inconsistent with the current invariants at the neighboring program points.

Abstract: A computer implemented cover process is disclosed for use in program analysis and verification techniques where existential quantifier elimination is not possible. The cover process allows an accurate assessment of the viability of a theory. Where a theory can be described using quantifier-free formulas, it can be shown that the program analysis and verification techniques using cover are not only sound (i.e., an indication of validity is reliable), but also precise (i.e., and indication of an error is reliable).