Monitoring operation of communication protocol procedure

• US 9,110,876 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software Integrity Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Codenomicon Oy (Synopsys Incorporated)
• Inventors: Untinen, Tuomo, Hietamaki, Riku, Taimisto, Jukka, Rontti, Tero
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCARTHY, CHRISTOPHER S
• Application Number:
  US14/022,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20140082419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0796 Safety measures, i.e. ensuring safe condition in the event of error, e.g. for controlling element
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2273 Test methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244

Abstract

This document discloses a method, apparatus, and computer program for automatically detecting unallowed continuation of a communication protocol procedure in a communication device. The method comprises in a test tool: marking an invalid input applied to the communication device in a sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure; marking, with a sequence marker, a location that should not be reached in the sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure as a result of the invalid input; and upon detecting that the communication protocol procedure has reached the location marked with the sequence marker, outputting an indication that the communication device operates in an unallowed manner.

Claims

1. A method for automatically detecting, unallowed continuation of a communication protocol procedure in a communication device, the method comprising in a test tool:

marking an invalid input applied to the communication device in a sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure;

marking, with a sequence marker, a location that should not be reached in the sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure as a result of the invalid input; and

upon detecting that the communication protocol procedure has reached the location marked with the sequence marker, outputting an indication that the communication device operates in an unallowed manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the invalid input is false authentication data, and wherein the sequence marker is inserted to a location which is at or following a successful completion of authentication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the invalid input is comprised in a communication protocol message transmitted to the communication device, wherein the invalid input causes the communication protocol message to become incompatible with a specification of the communication protocol being executed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating automatically a plurality of test cases for the communication device, wherein each test case comprises at least one invalid input.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking a location of the invalid input with the location of the corresponding sequence marker.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the test tool communicates with the communication device according to the communication protocol procedure and carries out fuzz testing of the communication device, and wherein said detecting the invalid input applied to the communication device comprises causing the test tool to apply the invalid input to the communication device in a protocol message transferred from the test tool to the communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the invalid input and associated sequence marker are inserted automatically as a part of the fuzz testing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence marker indicates a response message from the communication device that should not be transmitted as a response to the invalid input.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said outputting the indication comprises outputting the invalid input and an indication about the corresponding location reached in the communication protocol procedure.

10. An apparatus for automatically detecting unallowed continuation of a communication protocol procedure in a communication device, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to;

mark an invalid input applied to the communication device in a sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure;

mark, with a sequence marker, a location that should not be reached in the sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure as a result of the invalid input; and

upon detecting that the communication protocol procedure has reached the location marked with the sequence marker, output an indication that the communication device operates in an unallowed manner.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the invalid input is false authentication data, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to insert the sequence marker to a location which is at or following a successful completion of authentication.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the invalid input is comprised in a communication protocol message transmitted to the communication device, wherein the invalid input causes the communication protocol message to become incompatible with a specification of the communication protocol being executed.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to create automatically a plurality of test cases for the communication device, wherein each test case comprises at least one invalid input.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to link a location of the invalid input with the location of the corresponding sequence marker.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to communicate with the communication device according to the communication protocol procedure and carry out fuzz testing of the communication device, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to detect the invalid input applied to the communication device by applying the invalid input to the communication device in a protocol message transferred from the apparatus to the communication device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to insert the invalid input and associated sequence marker automatically as a part of the fuzz testing.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sequence marker indicates a response message from the communication device that should not be transmitted as a response to the invalid input.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to output the invalid input and an indication about the corresponding location reached in the communication protocol procedure.

19. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when loaded into the computer, execute a computer process for automatically detecting unallowed continuation of a communication protocol procedure in a communication device, the process comprising:

marking an invalid input applied to the communication device in a sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure;

marking, with a sequence marker, a location that should not be reached in the sequence of operations of the communication protocol procedure as a result of the invalid input; and

upon detecting that the communication protocol procedure has reached the location marked with the sequence marker, outputting an indication that the communication device operates in an unallowed manner.