GDBitflip [v1.04]

Runtime fault injection platform by Daniele Rizzieri (2021)
This platform executes N times a binary and during each execution it injects a bitflip in a random register, at a random time, then let the execution finish and observes/reports the outcomes.

Requirements

Required Linux packages:

• python3
• procps
• gdb (configured with --with-python option, usually by default)

Test Binary File Guidelines

In order to be properly testable, the program under test must be compliant with the following guidelines:

1. Application's output must be redirected to the standard output virtual file (i.e., it must be instructed to print the functional results to screen/console)
2. Application's behaviour and functional output must be fully deterministic: the tester must ensure that the entire code does not depend on time or other random variables. Examples:
   • if some kind of randomization function is involved, the tester must fix the randomization seed;
   • if some kind of time related function is involved, the tester must either suppress it or fix the time dependant variable;
3. The test application must be compiled from code, following the here reported guidelines:
   1. During the compilation the debug symbols must be included using the GCC option "-g"
   2. The application must be statically linked, through the "-static" compilation option
   3. When compiling, the tester should avoid the compiler optimization options "-o#"

Quick Start

1. Remember to compile binary under test with -g option (to include debug symbols) and without optimization flags -O

2. Remember to make the binary file executable

3. Type "python3 gdbitflip.py -h" or "python3 gdbitflip.py --help" for usage info:

Usage: python3 gdbitflip.py PATH/TO/BINARY -n [--args ARGS] [options]

   required:
        PATH/TO/BINARY          Path (relative or absolute) to binary file under test
        -n ,                        = number of injections
   optional:
        --args ARGS
                                           = number of args of binary;
                                          ARGS = argument of program divided by space
        -s r_seed,                   Set the random seed to r_seed
        -v, --verbose,             To produce verbose execution report
        -c, --clean,                 To clean the bitflipped results folder and exit
        -z, --zip,                     To compact all the reports in ./exec_reports/ in a summary in ./exec_reports/SUMMARIES/

4. See crash report in the file indicated at end of execution.

5. See execution report in the file indicated at end of execution.

Output File Locations

• ./bitflipped_results/ --> functional results of the binaries
• ./core_dumps/ --> coredumps file of crashed processes
• ./crash_reports/ --> reports containing info about the crashed processes
• ./crash_logs/ --> log files from gdb analysis of the coredumps
• ./exec_reports/ --> reports containing info about the exit codes, correctness of results and hang processes