Experiments in abstract interpretation-based code certification for pervasive systems

Proof-carrying code (PCC) is a general methodology for certifying that the execution of a untrusted mobile code is safe. The basic idea is that the code supplier attaches a certificate to the mobile code which the consumer checks in order to ensure that the code is indeed safe. The potential benefit is that the consumer's task is reduced from the level of proving to the level of checking. Recently, the abstract interpretation techniques developed in logic programming have been proposed as a basis for PCC. This extended abstract reports on experiments which illustrate several issues involved in abstract interpretation-based certification. First, we describe the implementation of our system in the context of CiaoPP: the preprocessor of the Ciao multi-paradigm programming system. Then, by means of some experiments, we show how code certification is aided in the implementation of the framework. Finally, we discuss the application of our method within the area of pervasive systems.