1 files changed, 18 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/lib/StaticAnalyzer/Checkers/DereferenceChecker.cpp b/lib/StaticAnalyzer/Checkers/DereferenceChecker.cpp
index a94d7a773e..e98c131ce9 100644
--- a/lib/StaticAnalyzer/Checkers/DereferenceChecker.cpp
+++ b/lib/StaticAnalyzer/Checkers/DereferenceChecker.cpp
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ void DereferenceChecker::checkLocation(SVal l, bool isLoad, const Stmt* S,
 
 void DereferenceChecker::checkBind(SVal L, SVal V, const Stmt *S,
                                    CheckerContext &C) const {
-  // If we're binding to a reference, check if the value is potentially null.
+  // If we're binding to a reference, check if the value is known to be null.
   if (V.isUndef())
     return;
 
@@ -265,8 +265,23 @@ void DereferenceChecker::checkBind(SVal L, SVal V, const Stmt *S,
     }
   }
 
-  // From here on out, assume the value is non-null.
-  C.addTransition(StNonNull);
+  // Unlike a regular null dereference, initializing a reference with a
+  // dereferenced null pointer does not actually cause a runtime exception in
+  // Clang's implementation of references.
+  //
+  //   int &r = *p; // safe??
+  //   if (p != NULL) return; // uh-oh
+  //   r = 5; // trap here
+  //
+  // The standard says this is invalid as soon as we try to create a "null
+  // reference" (there is no such thing), but turning this into an assumption
+  // that 'p' is never null will not match our actual runtime behavior.
+  // So we do not record this assumption, allowing us to warn on the last line
+  // of this example.
+  //
+  // We do need to add a transition because we may have generated a sink for
+  // the "implicit" null dereference.
+  C.addTransition(State, this);
 }
 
 void ento::registerDereferenceChecker(CheckerManager &mgr) {