Hardware Fuzzer for the Type-C Host System
Priyank Rathod, Anurag Anurag · Journal of Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning and Data Science · 2022
A hardware fuzzer, a unique testing tool, is designed to test hardware systems by introducing a variety of invalid, unexpected, or random inputs.It's an extension of software fuzzing, which targets software applications to find issues through unconventional input data.This type of fuzzer is particularly useful in developing embedded systems or crucial systems, including automotive, aerospace, and medical devices.However, it can test any hardware that enables system interfaces.Many systems enabled in their early stages can use this mechanism to see if the enablement has all the supported features enabled.There are many ways to test the system, and such methods can be used to find vulnerabilities and defects in software and hardware-based systems.In the current article, fuzzing Type-C devices involves applying unconventional inputs (test vectors) to test the device's behavior and identify vulnerabilities or defects.It would include sending invalid or unexpected input to the device and observing its behavior to identify potential vulnerabilities.Fuzzing a Type-C device can target various aspects such as the USB protocol, data transfer, power delivery negotiation, and other features.