abstract.tex

% abstract:
\begin{abstract}
  % context:
  In many practical and security-critical formats, the interpretation
  of a document segment as a \emph{Document Object Model (DOM)} graph
  depends on a concept of reference and complex contextual data that
  binds references to data objects.
  %
  Such referential context itself is defined
  discontinuously, and is often compressed, to satisfy practical constraints on usability and performance.
  %
  The integrity of these references and their context must be ensured 
  so that an unambiguous DOM graph is established from a basis of trust.

  % contribution:
  This paper describes a case study of a critical instance of such a
  design, namely the construction of PDF \emph{cross-reference data},
  in the presence of potentially multiple incremental updates and multiple 
  complex dialects expressing these references.
  %
  Over the course of our case study, we found that the full definition of
  cross-reference data in PDF contains several subtleties that are
  interpreted differently by natural implementations, but which can
  nevertheless be formalized using monadic parsers with constructs for explicitly capturing and updating input streams.
  
  % results:
  Producing our definition raised several issues in the PDF standard acknowledged and addressed by the PDF Association and the ISO.
  %
  In the future, the definition can serve as a foundation for implementing novel format
  security analyses of DOM-defining formats.
%  including the analysis of document \emph{cavities} that may store
%  Unexamined data used to construct file \emph{polyglots}.
\end{abstract}