Security Functional Testing Using An Interface-Driven Model-Based Test Automation Approach

Independent security functional testing on a product occupies a backseat in traditional security evaluation because of the cost and stringent coverage requirements. In this paper we present the details of an approach we have developed to automate security functional testing. The underlying framework is called TAF (Test Automation Framework) and the toolkit we have developed based on TAF is the TAF-SFT toolkit. The TAF-SFT toolkit uses text-based specifications of security functions provided by the product vendor and the requirements of the underlying security model to develop a machine-readable specification of security functions using the SCR (Software Cost Reduction) formal language. The resultant behavioral specification model is then processed through the TAF-SFT Toolkit to generate test vectors. The behavioral model and the test vectors are then combined with product interface specifications to automatically generate test drivers (test execution code). We illustrate the application of TAF-SFT toolkit for security functional testing of a commercial DBMS product. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using TAF-SFT toolkit for security functional testing and the scenarios under which the impact of disadvantage can be minimized.