Execution Path Detection through Dynamic Analysis in Black-Box Testing Environments

Path coverage is the process of measuring the fraction of execution paths that are taken during run-time in a software by a given set of inputs. It is commonly used to assess the stability, security, and functionality of an application; therefore, this is closely associated with software testing. Path coverage requires knowledge of the software’s source code (white-box testing), specifically the software’s potential execution paths; however, the problem becomes more challenging when the source code is not available and path coverage must be done using only the software’s binary code. This can occur if the software is a product, the software is a legacy system, or the source code is not available (e.g. contracted software or permission-less).