Software Testing - Fuzz Testing
Software testing is primarily focused on confirming the quality of the software. The fuzz testing is a test methodology which feeds the incorrect, unanticipated, and ad hoc data to the software, and then validates the exceptions namely crashes, probable memory leaks etc. It was first discovered by Barton Miller at the University of Wisconsin in the year 1999.
What is Software Fuzz Testing?
The software fuzz testing is mostly an automated testing approach which is conducted to define the system testing process by following the unsystematic approaches. While performing this type of testing, the software may encounter numerous types of defects or errors related to the input data sets. Thus the process of fuzz testing includes feeding the software with improper, unexpected, or arbitrary data to determine its probable security issues, and crashes.
The primary objective of the software fuzz testing is to determine the problems that can be used by an attacker, namely the buffer overflows, SQL injection etc. It is a critical part of software testing as it is instrumental in identifying all the security issues that may not be detected at the time of functional or unit testing such as performance bottlenecks, memory leaks etc. This type of testing is dependent on particular tools, and test environments which makes it a costly, and time consuming process. Besides, the testers assigned to fuzz testing should be experienced, and have in-depth knowledge of the softwares architecture, design, protocols, data format etc.
The software fuzz testing can be be performed in different ways listed below −
- File Fuzzing − In this type, unmethodical or incorrect data as inputs are passed to a file-parsing function to identify the problems like corrupted memory, buffer overflows etc.
- Network Fuzzing − In this type, unmethodical or incorrect data as inputs are passed to a network protocol to identify the problems like denial of service, other security issues etc.
- API Fuzzing − In this type, unmethodical or incorrect data as inputs are passed to an application program interface(API) to identify the problems like verifications of inputs, other security issues etc.
Objectives of Software Fuzz Testing
The objectives of the software fuzz box testing are listed below −
- The fuzz testing verifies the weaknesses in the software.
- The fuzz testing determines the security issues, and threats to the software.
- The fuzz testing identifies the defects at the early phases of the software development life cycle(SDLC).
Phases of Software Fuzz Testing
The phases of the software fuzz testing are listed below −
Step 1 − Determine the system to be tested also known as the target system by the testing team.
Step 2 − Identify the adhoc input test cases to be fed to the software to perform the fuzz testing.
Step 3 − Create the fuzzed data with the help of the arbitrary inputs.
Step 4 − The test cases are executed by running the software with the help of the fuzzed data.
Step 5 − After executing the software with the random inputs, the test results are evaluated to determine if there are any crashes, memory leaks etc encountered in the software.
Step 6 − In case of deviations, those are reported as defects. Once they are fixed it ensures better quality of the software.
Types of Software Fuzz Testing
The different types of software fuzz testing are listed below −
Coverage Guided Fuzz Testing
In this type of fuzz testing, the source code is evaluated while the software is working. The primary aim is to fail the program so that it crashes, and new test cases are added continuously. A crash indicates a potential error. The details gathered at the time of coverage guided fuzz testing can be utilized to replicate the crash, to locate the sections of the code which caused it.
Behavioural Fuzz Testing
This type of fuzz testing behaves in a unique manner. It also includes other fuzz tests like the mutation fuzzing, web fuzzing, generation fuzzing, smart fuzzing, and protocol fuzzing.
Types of Defects Detected During Software Fuzz Testing
The different types of defects detected during the software fuzz testing are listed below −
- File Format Fuzzing
- Character Fuzzing
- Number Fuzzing
- Application Fuzzing
- Protocol Fuzzing
Applications of Software Fuzz Testing
The different application in which the software fuzz testing can be used are listed below −
- Blockchain
- Operating System
- API
- Cryptography
- Quality Assurance
Advantages of Software Fuzz Testing
The advantages of the software fuzz testing are listed below −
- The software fuzz testing can be automated which allows a large count of inputs to be verified in a faster, and effective way.
- The software fuzz testing includes random, invalid, and unexpected data which detects defects which may not be detected while conducting other methods of testing.
- The software fuzz testing can be cost-effective if they are executed through automation.
- The software fuzz testing identifies bugs from the initial stages of the SDLC.
- The software fuzz testing is a dynamic process as it can be used in various systems, and numerous types of inputs namely APIs, file formats, network protocols etc.
Disadvantages of Software Fuzz Testing
The disadvantages of the software fuzz testing are listed below −
- The software fuzz testing may generate a large number of false positives.
- The fuzz testing has a limited scope as it only focuses on verifying the inputs, and may not verify all types of weakness in the software, namely conditions on concurrency, and race.
- The fuzz testing does not give the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the software.
- The fuzz testing has a limited scope as it only focuses on input validation problems, and may not test other issues such as the logical or security errors.
- The fuzz testing may cause crashing or hanging of the software after which it may not be possible to continue with testing and it would need manual intervention to cover.
Conclusion
This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Fuzz Testing. Weve started with describing what is software fuzz testing, what are the objectives of the software fuzz testing, what are the phases of the software fuzz testing, what are the different types of software fuzz testing, what are the different types of defects detected during the software fuzz testing, what are the different applications in which the software fuzz testing an be used, what are the advantages of the software fuzz testing, and what are the disadvantages of the software fuzz testing. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Fuzz Testing. It is wise to keep practicing what youve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.