Identification of Statically Linked Libraries in Executables Using Program Dependence Graph Matching

Identification of Statically Linked Libraries in Executables Using Program Dependence Graph Matching

Arutunian M.S. (RAU, Yerevan, Armenia)
Aslanyan H.K. (RAU, Yerevan, Armenia)

Abstract

Statically linked libraries simplify software distribution and deployment but complicate binary analysis, as the library code becomes indistinguishable from the program code after compilation. Identifying embedded libraries and their versions is essential for software composition analysis, vulnerability assessment, and license compliance. Despite significant progress in existing solutions, achieving accurate library identification under different compiler optimizations and multiple library versions remains a challenging task. This paper presents a method for identifying statically linked libraries in executable files. The proposed approach constructs program dependence graphs and function call graphs for both the analyzed executable and candidate library versions and then matches corresponding functions using a scalable graph matching algorithm. The method has been implemented and evaluated on executables containing multiple versions of widely used libraries. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves an average of 91% precision and 99% recall in identifying embedded libraries, while maintaining practical scalability.

Keywords

library identification; binary analysis; program dependence graph; graph matching; function matching.

Edition

Proceedings of the Institute for System Programming, vol. 38, issue 4, part 1, 2026, pp. 89-100

ISSN 2220-6426 (Online), ISSN 2079-8156 (Print).

DOI: 10.15514/ISPRAS-2026-38(4)-5

For citation

Arutunian M.S., Aslanyan H.K. Identification of Statically Linked Libraries in Executables Using Program Dependence Graph Matching. Proceedings of the Institute for System Programming, vol. 38, issue 4, part 1, 2026, pp. 89-100 DOI: 10.15514/ISPRAS-2026-38(4)-5.

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