v0.30

Fuddly 0.30

This release brings a lot of enhancements and new features as well as
fixing bugs. It is also time to remove python 2 support.

This version is not compatible with previous Fuddly versions (refer to "Fuddly Environment Change"
and "API Change").

Here under are listed what is the most noteworthy.

Highlighted New Features

• New constraint-based backend for data description:

  • based on python-constraint to leverage
    constraint programming in the description of data (Node-based).

  • New operator tWALKcsp to walk through the
    solutions of any CSP defined within input data (Node-based).

  • New operator tCONST operates on a data model that leverages
    the CSP backend. It negates the constraint one-by-one and output 1
    or more samples for each negated constraint.

  • Operators based on model walking infrastructure (like tWALK) get
    constraint backend support for almost free

  • New parameters in Node.freeze to support constraint backend: @restrict_csp, @resolve_csp

  • Refer to the documentation

• New tool plotty for visual analysis of the Fuddly Database (refer to the documentation)

• Add a new Tasks infrastructure which can be leveraged by
  scenario steps but also started when a target is launched
  (refer to the documentation)

• The Logger interacts now with the terminal through another thread to
  remove unnecessary latency while sending data.

• Add new backend infrastructure (SSHBackend, SerialBackend, ...) that
  can be leveraged by Probes and Targets

• Add JSON data model:

  • create automatically Node-based models from any JSON
    schema provided in <fuddly_data_path>/imported_data/json/,
    allowing to generate data compliant to these JSON schema.

  • or create Node-based models from any JSON data.

New Features and Enhancements

• Fuddly database and fmkdb.py tool

  • New ASYNC_DATA table added to record every data sent
    asynchronously (e.g., periodic data sent from a Scenario). Such
    data are sent through Target.send_data_sync() or
    Target.send_multiple_data_sync().

  • Update tools/fmkdb.py to display async data information related to
    any data ID. (option --with-async-data)

  • Add new option --fbk-status-formula to fmkdb.py allowing to
    restrict the data to be displayed to specific feedback
    status. This option provides the formula to be used for feedback
    status filtering

  • Record by default in FmkDB some information from the session
    (feedback timeout, project knowledge, etc.)

• Project class

  • New parameters to enable/disable workspace and/or fmkDB at start

  • New parameters to allow changing the default behaviour regarding
    fuddly workspace (where data are stored after being generated)

  • It is now possible to provide default values for feedback timeout,
    feedback mode, sending delay and burst value

• Scenario related:

  • Add new method Step.make_stutter()

  • Add @sending_delay parameter to Step()

  • Add new condition to cross transition: dp_completed_guard
    (refer to the documentation)

  • Add the parameter @user_args to Scenario class

  • Add a new feedback_gate that provide not only current feedback but a trail of 10 seconds

  • A Step() can now connect_to() an existing Scenario().

  • For scenarios that define Step content within callback function at runtime,
    a specific StepStub() class is now defined without the parameter @data_desc.

• Framework Plumbing and Shell:

  • Add new FmkPlumbing.process_data_and_send()

  • FmkPlumbing.show_data_maker_types() enhanced with DM info

  • New shell commands: collect_feedback, enable_fbk_handlers,
    disable_feedback_handlers

• Data Model new features and enhancements:

  • New keywords for data model description (refer to documentation):

    • namespace and from_namespace have been added
      to make easier the naming of nodes in data model description

    • always has been added for separator description

    • highlight has been added for data model description. It is
      currently leveraged by tTYPE to highlight the altered nodes on
      the console

    • New customization MH.Custo.NTerm.StickToDefault for non-terminal nodes.

  • Helpers:

    • New generator node template SELECT(): returns a generator that
      select a subnode from a non-terminal node and return it or a
      copy of it.

    • In specific condition, make a better choice for node modelling
      when a regexp is provided in a node description. For instance
      '\d{n,m}' do not create multiple INT_str() but only one

  • Parameter @default is now added to all typed nodes:

    • String, INT, and BitField have now a @default parameter and a dedicated
      method .set_default_value()
    • new model description keyword added default
    • absorption operation is now changing the default value to what is absorbed

  • New description parameters have been added to have more
    information when displaying Nodes (description parameters in
    Node, String, Bitfield, Int, ...)

  • Add DataModel.customize_node_backend() method in order to change
    default node customization for all the descriptors/atoms
    registered in the DataModel.

  • Improve performance of Node.get_reachable_nodes() when the @path_regexp criteria is used

  • Non-terminal node evolution:

    • Non-terminal node can now handle a default quantity for their subnodes.
      A new keyword default_qty has been added.

    • Revamp of non-terminal node algorithm to generate the different
      possible shapes from the model description (considering the new
      default_qty). Simpler and better performance (about cpu and
      memory consumption).

    • The generation algorithm of the different shapes are now
      customizable, through the parameter FullCombinatory (either
      full-combinatory or limited combinatory similar as before).

    • A new customization parameter CycleClone allows to cycle among
      the possible values of the subnodes which are duplicated several
      times.

    • A new parameter @full_combinatory has been added to tWALK and
      tTYPE in order to take benefit from this change.

    • Add the method Node.add() for non-terminal nodes enabling to add a
      node within an existing non-terminal node

  • Bitfield:

    • BitField.*_subfield() methods can now reference subfields by description
    • Enhance Bitfield Collapsing operation

  • String:

    • String._populate_values() gets called upon reset now when
      determinist is False in order to avoid getting same test case too
      often
    • new @case_sensitve parameter with new related fuzzing cases
    • absorption operation leverages new AbsCsts.SimilarContent criteria
      as a way to distinguish case-sensitive from case-insensitive String.
    • RawCondition() has now a new param @case_sensitive

  • Filename() fuzzing cases revamped

• Generators and Disruptors

  • tWALK and tTYPE leverage new framework features through new parameters

  • Leverage the attribute Mutable of non-terminal node to customize
    the behavior of the ModelWalker algorithm (used by tTYPE and
    tWALK). If not mutable, then the algo will always stick to the
    default form of the non-terminal.

  • When a data model uses some existence conditions, walking through
    the graph can be tricky. As a result, some data compliant with the
    data model could never be generated by tWALK. The walking
    algorithm has been improved in order to take into account the
    changes that may occur among the sibbling nodes of the node which
    is currently walking through. And in the case there is some
    change, then the algorithm will walk through the new nodes. This
    improves the exploration capability of tWALK.

  • New parameters have been added to the Generators
    automatically created from data models

  • New Generator GENP to generate basic data based on a pattern and
    different parameters.

• Targets, Backends

  • TestTarget provides several new features that allows to create
    simulated environment composed of different interconnected
    targets (simulated by different fuddly instance).

  • Add new SSHTarget

• Monitoring:

  • Add new ProbeCmd that enables you to execute shell commands and retrieve the output.

• Knowledge Infrastructure

  • FeedbackHandlers:

    • there are now triggered when a call to Target.send_data_sync()
      is performed asynchronously from outside the framework (e.g., from a Task)

    • notify_data_sending() is provided now with the relevant Target
      in @target parameter and not with the list of targets

  • the new subdirectory user_info/ has been added in fuddly data folder
    (automatically created if not existing). It is used to store user
    specific Information (defined in the form of classes inheriting
    the Information class) in order for instance to share information
    between user projects and user data models.

Fuddly Environment Change

• Add XDG Base Directory support. Note that if ~/fuddly_data still exists,
  XDG base directories won't be used.

• Due to some change in fmkDB structure, previous fmkDB versions are
  not recognized anymore. Remove it from the Fuddly home so that it will be regenerated
  when Fuddly will be started again.

• Fuddly configuration files have been updated. Fuddly won't start with previous ones.
  Remove them and Fuddly will generate the new versions when started again.

API Change

• Handle feedback timeout at Target level

• FmkPlumbing:

  • rename set_fuzz_delay() to set_sending_delay()
  • rename set_fuzz_burst() to set_sending_burst_counter()
  • dissociate the states "target_ready" and "feedback_received" in FmkPlumbing.wait_for_target_readiness (previously .check_target_readiness)
  • feedback timeout is now computed in a more relevant way
  • Logger() @console_display_limit parameter is renamed @term_display_limit

• Target:

  • rename collect_pending_feedback() to collect_unsolicited_feedback()

• Data Model:

  • rename DataModel.register_atom_for_absorption() to .register_atom_for_decoding() and change @decoding_scope usage

  • add new parameter @scope to DataModel.decode()

  • rename AbsCsts parameter @contents to @content

  • Node class:

    • Node dictionary interface update (refer to the documentation)

    • Node searching primitives could have side effects, namely freezing part of the node graph in the process.
      This was caused by the resolution of Generator-nodes taking nodes parameter (if present in the graph), as
      in the process of resolving/expanding the Generator-nodes the parameters are also resolved thus frozen.
      To have control on this side effect a new parameter has been added to the node searching primitives: resolve_generator.
      It defaults to False in order to avoid side effect, but it will also affect searches as nothing will be
      retrieved by default from the generator nodes.

    • get_node_by_path() is removed and replaced by: get_first_node_by_path() and iter_nodes_by_path().

• Generators and Disruptors

  • Some parameters have been renamed as well as default values in
    tWALK, tTYPE, tALT, tSTRUCT, tSEP.

• Evolutionary fuzzing (refer to the documentation)

  • Remove disruptors dependency to perform crossover algorithm
  • parameter @init_process of DefaultPopulation expects a DataProcess() now