KITFORMA · EDITORIAL ANSWER
Why does a clean AddressSanitizer run not prove my C program is memory-safe?
KitForma editorial guide. A sanitizer observes instrumented execution, not every possible input and path. An untested branch or uninstrumented dependency can retain defects after one clean run.
Step-by-step answer
A sanitizer observes instrumented execution, not every possible input and path. An untested branch or uninstrumented dependency can retain defects after one clean run.
Compile and link the relevant program with the documented sanitizer flags, retain useful debug information, and exercise boundary, failure and lifetime cases. Run the resulting instrumented executable rather than a stale release binary. Fix the first valid report before interpreting cascaded failures.
Include a controlled out-of-bounds fixture to confirm the test environment detects what you expect, then remove it from normal code. Sanitizer availability and coverage vary by platform; clean output complements review and testing rather than replacing them.
Sources and verification
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