DigHR: precise dynamic detection of hidden races with weak causal relation analysis

Present advanced precise race detection techniques leverage strict causal relation to locate data races, leading to false negatives and missing many hidden races. In this paper, we present a novel race detection technique, called DigHR, which can detect more hidden races than existing precise techniques. DigHR is based on a weak causal relation, called afterward-confirm (AC) relation, which relaxes restrictions of existing causal relations and is proved to be sound. To represent AC relations between events, we propose a new data structure, called water-flow graph, which enable DigHR to analyze AC relations and detect hidden races at run-time. We have implemented DigHR in C/C++ and evaluated the effectiveness of DigHR by detecting races from real-world benchmarks and applications. The experimental results show that DigHR can precisely detect 21% more races than previous techniques, including FastTrack and CP.