Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] Bounds checking of decoders

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From: Guy Harris <gharris@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 00:56:01 -0800
On Fri, Mar 30, 2001 at 09:35:25AM +0100, Andy Leigh wrote:
> Perhaps we have here a new method of testing decoders - using a large packet
> (e.g. and FTP transfer) and using the decode-as option to decode it as RTSP,
> NBSS etc. etc.. Any decoder that causes Ethereal to bounce needs to
> therefore have its bounds-checking strengthened.

...ideally by being changed to use tvbuffs.

> Perhaps we can take this further. By creating a set of different (non-valid
> in any decode) test packets, we could automatically get each release of
> Ethereal to speed through using each decode in turn to test for stability.
> Is this a daft idea?

No, it's not.

See, for example, "randpkt.c", which is a program Gilbert Ramirez wrote;
it generates garbage packets of certain types.