Specifying Imperative Data Obfuscations

Abstract. An obfuscation aims to transform a program, without affecting the functionality, so that some secret information within the program can be hidden for as long as possible from an adversary. Proving that an obfuscating transform is correct (i.e. it preserves functionality) is considered to be a challenging task. In this paper we show how data refinement can be used to specify imperative data obfuscations. An advantage of this approach is that we can establish a framework in which we can prove the correctness of our obfuscations. We demonstrate our framework by considering some examples from obfuscation literature. We show how to specify these obfuscations, prove that they are correct and produce generalisations.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: ISW
• Authors: Stephen Drape, Clark D. Thomborson, Anirban Majumdar
• Keywords: Imperative Data Obfuscations, ISW 2007, Obfuscation, Secret Information