Patents by Inventor Stephen T. Harding

Stephen T. Harding has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method for semantic preserving transform mutation discovery and vetting
    Patent number: 11307962
    Abstract: A method for validating software transforms. A target program binary is mutated, producing a plurality of variants. It is determined whether each variant passes a test suite. Upon determining the variant does not pass the test suite, the variant is discarded. Upon determining the variant passes the test suite, the variant is compared to the target program binary. A candidate transform is extracted which meets scope criteria. The candidate transform is applied to each of a plurality of test programs. It is determined whether the candidate transform is safe. Upon determining that the candidate transform is not safe, the candidate transform is discarded. Upon determining that the candidate transform is safe, the candidate transform is collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Jason A. Landsborough, Sunny J. Fugate, Stephen T. Harding
  • Device, system, and method for automatically detecting and repairing a bug in a computer program using a genetic algorithm
    Patent number: 11080179
    Abstract: An initial test variable determined by a fuzz tester to cause a faulty response of an original computer program due to a bug within the original computer program is added to a suite of test variables. Computer program candidates that are functionally equivalent to the original computer program are tested using a suite of test variables including the initial test variable. The computer program candidates are modified and selected using a genetic algorithm based on results of the testing to produce bug-free computer program candidates that are functionally equivalent to the original computer program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Jason A. Landsborough, Stephen T. Harding, Bryan T. Beabout, Emmanuel J. Orozco
  • Device, system, and method for detecting a defect in a computer program by generating and testing semantically equivalent computer program variants
    Patent number: 10997060
    Abstract: Semantically equivalent variants of a computer program are generated by applying randomly selected transforms to the computer program. Unit tests are performed on the variants of the computer program to detect a defect in the computer program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Sunny J. Fugate, Jason A. Landsborough, Stephen T. Harding, Charles L. Carpenter
  • Device, System, and Method for Detecting a Defect in a Computer Program by Generating and Testing Semantically Equivalent Computer Program Variants
    Publication number: 20200356468
    Abstract: Semantically equivalent variants of a computer program are generated by applying randomly selected transforms to the computer program. Unit tests are performed on the variants of the computer program to detect a defect in the computer program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: United States of America as represented by Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Sunny J. Fugate, Jason A. Landsborough, Stephen T. Harding, Charles L. Carpenter
  • Device, System, and Method for Automatically Detecting and Repairing a Bug in a Computer Program using a Genetic Algorithm
    Publication number: 20200341887
    Abstract: An initial test variable determined by a fuzz tester to cause a faulty response of an original computer program due to a bug within the original computer program is added to a suite of test variables. Computer program candidates that are functionally equivalent to the original computer program are tested using a suite of test variables including the initial test variable. The computer program candidates are modified and selected using a genetic algorithm based on results of the testing to produce bug-free computer program candidates that are functionally equivalent to the original computer program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: United States of America as represented by Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Jason A. Landsborough, Stephen T. Harding, Bryan T. Beabout, Emmanuel J. Orozco
  • Method for Semantic Preserving Transform Mutation Discovery and Vetting
    Publication number: 20200012581
    Abstract: A method for validating software transforms. A target program binary is mutated, producing a plurality of variants. It is determined whether each variant passes a test suite. Upon determining the variant does not pass the test suite, the variant is discarded. Upon determining the variant passes the test suite, the variant is compared to the target program binary. A candidate transform is extracted which meets scope criteria. The candidate transform is applied to each of a plurality of test programs. It is determined whether the candidate transform is safe. Upon determining that the candidate transform is not safe, the candidate transform is discarded. Upon determining that the candidate transform is safe, the candidate transform is collected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Jason A. Landsborough, Sunny J. Fugate, Stephen T. Harding