Fuzz Testing
Fuzz testing, or fuzzing, is a software testing technique that involves providing invalid, unexpected, or random data as inputs to a program to discover vulnerabilities, crashes, or unexpected behaviors. It is an automated method that helps identify security flaws, memory leaks, and other defects by bombarding the target with a large volume of malformed inputs. This approach is widely used in security testing and quality assurance to improve software robustness.
Developers should learn and use fuzz testing to enhance the security and reliability of their applications, especially for systems handling untrusted data like web servers, file parsers, or network protocols. It is crucial for identifying zero-day vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance with security standards in industries such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. Fuzzing is particularly valuable in DevOps pipelines for continuous testing and in open-source projects to catch bugs before release.