git.stella-ops.org/docs/product-advisories/26-Dec-2026 - Mapping a Binary Intelligence Graph.md

Mapping a Binary Intelligence Graph

Status: SUPERSEDED Date: 2026-12-26 Updated: 2025-12-26 Superseded By: BinaryIndex Module Architecture Related Sprints: SPRINT_20251226_011_BINIDX_known_build_catalog.md, SPRINT_20251226_012_BINIDX_backport_handling.md, SPRINT_20251226_013_BINIDX_fingerprint_factory.md, SPRINT_20251226_014_BINIDX_scanner_integration.md

---

Supersession Notice

This advisory has been superseded by the comprehensive BinaryIndex module architecture. All proposals in this advisory are covered by the existing design:

Advisory Proposal	Implementation	Location
artifacts table	binaries.binary_identity	docs/modules/binaryindex/architecture.md
symbols table	BinaryFeatures in IBinaryFeatureExtractor	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../Services/
vuln_segments (byte_sig/patch_sig)	VulnFingerprint model	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../Fingerprints/
matches table	FingerprintMatch model	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../Fingerprints/
reachability_hints	ReachabilityStatus enum	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../Models/
Build-ID/PE indexer	ElfFeatureExtractor, IBinaryFeatureExtractor	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../Services/
Patch-aware handling	FixEvidence, changelog/patch parsers	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../FixIndex/
Corpus connectors	DebianCorpusConnector, IBinaryCorpusConnector	src/BinaryIndex/__Libraries/.../Corpus/

Related Archived Advisories

• 18-Dec-2025 - Building Better Binary Mapping and Call‑Stack Reachability.md
• 23-Dec-2026 - Binary Mapping as Attestable Proof.md

Related Active Advisories

• 25-Dec-2025 - Evolving Evidence Models for Reachability.md - Runtime → build braid, eBPF sampling

---

Original Advisory Content

Here's a compact blueprint for a binary‑level knowledge base that maps ELF Build‑IDs / PE signatures to vulnerable functions, patch lineage, and reachability hints—so your scanner can act like a provenance‑aware "binary oracle," not just a CVE lookup.

---

Why this matters (in plain terms)

• Same version ≠ same risk. Distros (and vendors) frequently backport fixes without bumping versions. Only the binary tells the truth.
• Function‑level matching turns noisy "package has CVE" into precise "this exact function range is vulnerable in your binary."
• Reachability hints cut triage noise by ranking vulns the code path can actually hit at runtime.

---

Minimal starter schema (MVP)

Keep it tiny so it grows with real evidence:

artifacts

• id (pk)
• platform (linux, windows)
• format (ELF, PE)
• build_id (ELF .note.gnu.build-id), pdb_guid / pe_imphash (Windows)
• sha256 (whole‑file)
• compiler_fingerprint (e.g., gcc-13.2, msvc-19.39)
• source_hint (optional: pname/version if known)

symbols

• artifact_id (fk)
• symbol_name
• addr_start, addr_end (or RVA for PE)
• section, file_offset (optional)

vuln_segments

• id (pk)
• cve_id (CVE‑YYYY‑NNNN)
• function_signature (normalized name + arity)
• byte_sig (short stable pattern around the vulnerable hunk)
• patch_sig (pattern from fixed hunk)
• evidence_ref (link to patch diff, commit, or NVD note)
• backport_flag (bool)
• introduced_in, fixed_in (semver-ish text; note "backport" when used)

matches

• artifact_id (fk), vuln_segment_id (fk)
• match_type (byte, range, symbol)
• confidence (0–1)
• explain (why we think this matches)

reachability_hints

• artifact_id (fk), symbol_name
• hint_type (imported, exported, hot, ebpf_seen, graph_core)
• weight (0–100)

---

How the oracle answers "Am I affected?"

1. Identify: Look up by Build‑ID / PE signature; fall back to file hash.

2. Locate: Map symbols → address ranges; scan for byte_sig/patch_sig.

3. Decide:

   • if patch_sig present ⇒ Not affected (backported).
   • if byte_sig present and reachable (weighted) ⇒ Affected (prioritized).
   • if only byte_sig present, unreachable ⇒ Affected (low priority).
   • if neither ⇒ Unknown.

4. Explain: Attach evidence_ref, the exact offsets, and the reason (match_type + reachability).

---

Ingestion pipeline (no humans in the loop)

• Fingerprinting: extract Build‑ID / PE GUID; compute sha256.
• Symbol map: parse DWARF/PDB if present; else fall back to heuristics (ELF symtab, PE exports).
• Patch intelligence: auto‑diff upstream commits (plus major distros) → synthesize short byte signatures around changed hunks (stable across relocations).
• Evidence links: store URLs/commit IDs for cross‑audit.
• Noise control: only accept a vuln signature if it hits N≥3 independent binaries across distros (tunable).

---

Deterministic verdicts (fit to Stella Ops)

• Inputs: (artifact fingerprint, vuln_segments@version, reachability@policy)
• Output: Signed OCI attestation "verdict.json" (same inputs → same verdict).
• Replay: keep rule bundle & feed hashes for audit.
• Backport precedence: patch_sig beats package version claims every time.

---

Fast path to MVP (2 sprints)

• Add a Build‑ID/PE indexer to Scanner.
• Teach Feedser/Vexer to ingest vuln_segments (with byte_sig/patch_sig).
• Implement matching + verdict attestation; surface "Backported & Safe" vs "Affected & Reachable" badges in UI.
• Seed DB with 10 high‑impact CVEs (OpenSSL, zlib, xz, glibc, libxml2, curl, musl, busybox, OpenSSH, sudo).

---

Example: SQL skeleton (Postgres)

create table artifacts(
  id bigserial primary key,
  platform text, format text,
  build_id text, pdb_guid text, pe_imphash text,
  sha256 bytea not null unique,
  compiler_fingerprint text, source_hint text
);

create table symbols(
  artifact_id bigint references artifacts(id),
  symbol_name text, addr_start bigint, addr_end bigint,
  section text, file_offset bigint
);

create table vuln_segments(
  id bigserial primary key,
  cve_id text, function_signature text,
  byte_sig bytea, patch_sig bytea,
  evidence_ref text, backport_flag boolean,
  introduced_in text, fixed_in text
);

create table matches(
  artifact_id bigint references artifacts(id),
  vuln_segment_id bigint references vuln_segments(id),
  match_type text, confidence real, explain text
);

create table reachability_hints(
  artifact_id bigint references artifacts(id),
  symbol_name text, hint_type text, weight int
);