Merge pull request #14223 from MathiasVP/add-explicit-dereferenced-by-operation-base-case-predicate

C++: Add a `directDereferencedByOperation` predicate

cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/controlflow/Dereferenced.qll

@@ -26,17 +26,18 @@ predicate callDereferences(FunctionCall fc, int i) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Holds if evaluation of `op` dereferences `e`.
+ * Holds if evaluation of `op` dereferences `e` directly.
+ *
+ * This predicate does not recurse through function calls or arithmetic operations. To find
+ * such cases, use `dereferencedByOperation`.
  */
-predicate dereferencedByOperation(Expr op, Expr e) {
+predicate directDereferencedByOperation(Expr op, Expr e) {
   exists(PointerDereferenceExpr deref |
     deref.getAChild() = e and
     deref = op and
     not deref.getParent*() instanceof SizeofOperator
   )
   or
-  exists(CrementOperation crement | dereferencedByOperation(e, op) and crement.getOperand() = e)
-  or
   exists(ArrayExpr ae |
     (
       not ae.getParent() instanceof AddressOfExpr and
@@ -50,6 +51,24 @@ predicate dereferencedByOperation(Expr op, Expr e) {
     )
   )
   or
+  // ptr->Field
+  e = op.(FieldAccess).getQualifier() and isClassPointerType(e.getType())
+  or
+  // ptr->method()
+  e = op.(Call).getQualifier() and isClassPointerType(e.getType())
+}
+
+/**
+ * Holds if evaluation of `op` dereferences `e`.
+ *
+ * This includes the set of operations identified via `directDereferencedByOperation`, as well
+ * as calls to function that are known to dereference an argument.
+ */
+predicate dereferencedByOperation(Expr op, Expr e) {
+  directDereferencedByOperation(op, e)
+  or
+  exists(CrementOperation crement | dereferencedByOperation(e, op) and crement.getOperand() = e)
+  or
   exists(AddressOfExpr addof, ArrayExpr ae |
     dereferencedByOperation(addof, op) and
     addof.getOperand() = ae and
@@ -74,12 +93,6 @@ predicate dereferencedByOperation(Expr op, Expr e) {
     e = fc.getArgument(i) and
     op = fc
   )
-  or
-  // ptr->Field
-  e = op.(FieldAccess).getQualifier() and isClassPointerType(e.getType())
-  or
-  // ptr->method()
-  e = op.(Call).getQualifier() and isClassPointerType(e.getType())
 }
 
 private predicate isClassPointerType(Type t) {