Secure synthesis of code: A process improvement experiment

Abstract

Arguments for and against the deployment of formal methods in system design are rarely supported by evidence derived from experiments that compare a particular formal approach with conventional methods [2]. We illustrate an approach to the use of formal methods for secure code synthesis in safety-critical Avionics applications. The technique makes use of code components and uses sound introduction rules for the components to ensure constraints on their use are enforced. The approach we describe is the subject of a controlled experiment where it is running in parallel with the conventional approach. We describe the experiment and report some preliminary findings.