New fuzzing platform

Author: Markoutte

docs/Fuzzing Platform.md

@@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
+# Fuzzing Platform (FP) Design
+
+**Problem:** fuzzing is a versatile technique for generating values to be used as method arguments. Normally, 
+to generate values, one needs information on a method signature, or rather on the parameter types (if a fuzzer is 
+able to "understand" them). _White-box_ approach also requires AST, and _grey-box_ approach needs coverage 
+information. To generate values that may serve as method arguments, the fuzzer uses generators, mutators, and 
+predefined values.
+
+* _Generators_ yield concrete objects created by descriptions. The basic description for creating objects is _type_. 
+  Constants, regular expressions, and other structured object specifications (e.g. in HTML) may be also used as 
+  descriptions.
+
+* _Mutators_ modify the object in accordance with some logic that usually means random changes. To get better 
+  results, mutators obtain feedback (information on coverage and the inner state of the 
+  program) during method call.
+
+* _Predefined values_ work well for known problems, e.g. incorrect symbol sequences. To discover potential problems one can analyze parameter names as well as the specific constructs or method calls inside the method body.
+
+General API for using fuzzer looks like this:
+
+```kotlin
+fuzz(
+    params = "number", "string", "object<object, number>: number, string",
+    details: (constants, providers, etc)
+).accept { values: List ->
+    val feedback = exec(values);
+    return feedback
+}
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+The general fuzzing process gets the list of parameter descriptions as input and returns the corresponding list of values. The simplest description is the specific object type, for example:
+
+```kotlin
+[Int, Bool]
+```
+
+In this particular case, the fuzzing process can generate the set of all the pairs having integer as the first value 
+and `true` or `false` as the second one. If values `-3, 0, 10` are generated to be the `Int` values, the set of all the possible combinations has six items: `(-3, false), (0, false), (10, false), (-3, true), (0, true), (10, true)`. Depending on the programming language, one may use interface descriptions or annotations (type hints) instead of defining the specific type. Fuzzing platform (FP) is not able to create the concrete objects as it does not deal with the specific languages. It still can convert the descriptions to the known constructs it can work with.
+
+Say, in most of the programming languages, any integer may be represented as a bit array, and fuzzer can construct and 
+modify bit arrays. So, in general case, the boundary values for the integer are these bit arrays:
+
+* [0, 0, 0, ..., 0] - null
+* [1, 0, 0, ..., 0] - minimum value
+* [0, 1, 1, ..., 1] - maximum value
+* [0, 0, ..., 0, 1] - plus 1
+* [1, 1, 1, ..., 1] - minus 1
+
+One can correctly use this representation for unsigned integers as well:
+
+* [0, 0, 0, ..., 0] - null (minimum value)
+* [1, 0, 0, ..., 0] - maximum value / 2
+* [0, 1, 1, ..., 1] - maximum value / 2 + 1
+* [0, 0, ..., 0, 1] - plus 1
+* [1, 1, 1, ..., 1] - maximum value
+
+Thus, FP interprets the _Byte_ and _Unsigned Byte_ descriptions in different ways: in the former case, the maximum value is [0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1], while in the latter case it is [1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1]. FP types are described in details further.
+
+## Refined parameter description
+
+During the fuzzing process, some parameters get the refined description, for example:
+
+```java
+    public boolean isNaN(Number n) {
+        if (!(n instanceof Double)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return Double.isNaN((Double) n);
+    }
+```
+
+In the above example, let the parameter be `Integer`. Considering the feedback, the fuzzer suggests that nothing but `Double` might increase coverage, so the type may be downcasted to `Double`. This allows for filtering out a priori unfitting values.
+
+## Statically and dynamically generated values
+Predefined, or _statically_ generated, values help to define the initial range of values, which could be used as method arguments. These values allow us to:
+
+* check if it is possible to call the given method with at least some set of values as arguments,
+* gather statistics on executing the program,
+* refine the parameter description.
+
+_Dynamic_ values are generated in two ways:
+
+* internally — via mutating the existing values, successfully performed as method arguments (i.e. seeds);
+* externally — via obtaining feedback that can return not only the statistics on the execution (the paths explored, 
+  the time spent, etc.) but also the set of new values to be blended with the values already in use.
+
+Dynamic values should have the higher priority for a sample, that's why they should be chosen either first or at least more likely than the statically generated ones. In general, the algorithm that guides the fuzzing process looks like this:
+
+```python
+# dynamic values are stored with respect to their return priority
+dynamic_values = empty_priority_queue()
+# static values are generated beforehand
+static_values = generate()
+# "good" values 
+seeded_values = []
+# 
+filters = []
+
+# the loop runs until coverage reaches 100%
+while app.should_fuzz(seeded_values.feedbacks):
+    # first we choose all dynamic values
+    # if there are no dynamic values, choose the static ones
+    value = dynamic_values.take() ?: static_values.take_random()
+    # if there is no value or it was filtered out (static values are generated in advance — they can be random and unfitting), try to generate new values via mutating the seeds
+    if value is null or filters.is_filtered(value):
+        value = mutate(seeded_values.random_value())
+    # if there is still no value at this point, it means that there are no appropriate values at all, and the process stops
+    if value is null: break
+
+    # run with the given values and obtain feedback
+    feedback = yield_run(value)
+    # feedback says if it is reasonable to add the current value to the set of seeds
+    if feedback is good:
+        seeded_values[feedback] += value
+    # feedback may also provide fuzzer with the new values
+    if feedback has suggested_value:
+        dynamic_values += feedback.suggested_values() with high_priority
+
+    # mutate the static value thus allowing fuzzer to alternate static and dynamic values
+    if value.is_static_generated:
+        dynamic_values += mutate(seeded_values.random_value()) with low_priority
+```
+
+## Helping fuzzer via code modification
+
+Sometimes it is reasonable to modify the source code so that it makes applying fuzzer to it easier. This is one of possible approaches: to split the complex _if_-statement into the sequence of simpler _if_-statements. See [Circumventing Fuzzing Roadblocks with Compiler Transformations](https://lafintel.wordpress.com/2016/08/15/circumventing-fuzzing-roadblocks-with-compiler-transformations/) for details.
+
+## Generators
+
+There are two types of generators:
+
+* yielding values of primitive data types: integers, strings, booleans
+* yielding values of recursive data types: objects, lists
+
+Sometimes it is necessary not only to create an object but to modify it as well. We can apply fuzzing to 
+the fuzzer-generated values that should be modified. For example, you have the `HashMap.java` class, and you need to 
+generate 
+three 
+modifications for it using `put(key, value)`. For this purpose, you may request for applying the fuzzer to six 
+parameters `(key, value, key, value, key, value)` and get the necessary modified values.
+
+Primitive type generators allow for yielding
+
+1. Signed integers of a given size (8, 16, 32, and 64 bits, usually)
+2. Unsigned integers of a given size
+3. Floating-point numbers with a given size of significand and exponent according to IEEE 754
+4. Booleans: _True_ and _False_
+5. Characters (in UTF-16 format)
+6. Strings (consisting of UTF-16 characters)
+
+Fuzzer should be able to provide out-of-the-box support for these types — be able to create, modify, and process 
+them. To work with multiple languages it is enough to specify the possible type size and to describe and create the 
+concrete objects based on the FP-generated values.
+
+The recursive types include two categories:
+
+* Collections (arrays and lists)
+* Objects
+
+Collections may be nested and have _n_ dimensions (one, two, three, or more).
+
+Collections may be:
+
+* of a fixed size (e.g., arrays)
+* of a variable size (e.g., lists and dictionaries)
+
+Objects may have:
+
+1. Constructors with parameters
+
+2. Modifiable inner fields
+
+3. Modifiable global values (the static ones)
+
+4. Calls for modifying methods
+
+FP should be able to create and describe such objects in the form of a tree. The semantics of actual modifications is under the responsibility of a programming language.
+
+
+## Typing
+
+FP does not use the concept of _type_ for creating objects. Instead, FP introduces the _task_ concept — it 
+encapsulates the description of a type, which should be used to create an object. Generally, this task consists of two 
+blocks: the task for initializing values and the list of tasks for modifying the initialized value.
+
+```
+Task = [
+	Initialization: [T1, T2, T3, ..., TN]
+	Modification(Initialization): [
+		М1: [T1, T2, ..., TK],
+		М2: [T1, T2, ..., TJ],
+		МH: [T1, T2, ..., TI],
+		]
+]
+```
+
+Thus, we can group the tasks as follows:
+
+```
+1. Trivial task = [
+	Initialization: [INT|UNSIGNED.INT|FLOAT.POINT.NUMBER|BOOLEAN|CHAR|STRING]
+	Modification(Initialization): []
+]
+
+
+2. Task for creating an array = [
+	Initialization: [UNSIGNED.INT]
+	Modification(UNSIGNED.INT) = [T] * UNSIGNED.INT
+]
+
+or
+
+2. Task for creating an array = [
+	Initialization: [UNSIGNED.INT]
+	Modification(UNSIGNED.INT) = [[T * UNSIGNED.INT]]
+]
+
+where "*" means repeating the type the specified number of times
+
+3. Task for creating an object = [
+	Initialization: [Т1, Т2, ... ТN],
+	Modification(UNSIGNED.INT) = [
+        ...
+    ]
+]
+
+```
+
+Therefore, each programming language defines how to interpret a certain type and how to infer it. This allows fuzzer 
+to store and mutate complex objects without any additional support from the language.

settings.gradle.kts

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ include("utbot-framework-api")
 include("utbot-intellij")
 include("utbot-sample")
 include("utbot-fuzzers")
+include("utbot-fuzzing")
 include("utbot-junit-contest")
 include("utbot-analytics")
 include("utbot-analytics-torch")