RAT: Retrieval-Augmented Testing of Certificate Revocation List Parsers in TLS Implementations
Transport Layer Security (TLS) implementations form the backbone of countless software systems, spanning from web browsers, email clients, cloud services, and Internet of Things software, by enabling secure authentication and encrypted communication. However, their reliability hinges on the integrity of components like Certificate Revocation List (CRL), which revokes compromised certificates to prevent attackers from exploiting expired or unauthorized credentials. Despite CRL’s critical role, CRL parsers, which decode CRL data for validation, remain overlooked in security research, exposing TLS-dependent software to potential threats. To address this gap, we introduce Retrieval-Augmented Testing (RAT), a framework powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), to systematically evaluate CRL parsers in mainstream TLS implementations such as OpenSSL, GnuTLS, and wolfSSL. RAT begins with leveraging an LLM to retrieve historical bug reports and cross-reference them with Request for Comments (RFC) 5280 specifications, generating structured test cases via an Abstract Syntax Notation One-aware mutation engine. These test cases are then fed into CRL parsers, and RAT employs an LLM to normalize their outputs. By analyzing these normalized results, RAT detects discrepancies and uncovers latent risks in CRL parsers. Our work makes the following contributions: (1) Unlike prior work focusing on certificate validation, this is the first study to systematically assess CRL parsers; (2) We propose RAT, a novel testing framework that leverages an LLM to integrate insights from retrieved bug reports and RFC 5280, enabling automated test-case generation; and (3) We have implemented an open-source prototype of RAT and experiments uncovered 23 new bugs, features, enhancements, fixes in commits, and x509s, demonstrating RAT’s potential to bolster the security foundation of TLS-powered systems worldwide.
Thu 9 JulDisplayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change
10:30 - 12:30 | Testing 3Research Papers / Industry Papers / Tool Demonstrations / Ideas, Visions and Reflections at MB 1.210 Chair(s): Nimmi Weeraddana University of Calgary, Canada | ||
10:30 20mTalk | ACME: Automated Clause Mapping Engine for Testing Emerging Database Systems Research Papers Yuancheng Jiang National University of Singapore, Jianing Wang Shandong University, Chuqi Zhang National University of Singapore, Roland H. C. Yap National University of Singapore, Zhenkai Liang National University of Singapore, Manuel Rigger National University of Singapore DOI Pre-print | ||
10:50 20mTalk | Interrogation Testing of CHC Solvers Research Papers David Kaindlstorfer TU Wien, Austria, Anastasia Isychev TU Wien, Valentin Wüstholz ConsenSys, Maria Christakis TU Wien Pre-print | ||
11:10 20mTalk | RAT: Retrieval-Augmented Testing of Certificate Revocation List Parsers in TLS Implementations Research Papers Chu Chen Qufu Normal University, Qianxin Cheng Qufu Normal University, Pinghong Ren Qufu Normal University, Hairong Yu Qufu Normal University, Cong Tian Xidian University, Zhenhua Duan Xidian University, Xu Lu Xidian University, Bin Yu Xidian University, WenSheng Wang Xidian University, Jin Liu Xi'an University of Technology Pre-print | ||
11:30 10mTalk | Software Testing Beyond Closed Worlds: Open-World Games as an Extreme Case Ideas, Visions and Reflections Yusaku Kato Ritsumeikan University, Norihiro Yoshida Ritsumeikan University, Erina Makihara Ritsumeikan University, Katsuro Inoue Ritsumeikan University Pre-print | ||
11:40 20mTalk | AstraGame: Effective and Efficient VLM Agent Serving for Large-Scale Game Testing in an Industry Setting Industry Papers Yuzhe Guo Peking University, Haochuan Lu Tencent, Mengzhou Wu Peking University, Ting Xiong Tencent Inc., Yuetang Deng Tencent, Dezhi Ran Peking University, Wei Yang UT Dallas, Tao Xie Peking University | ||
12:00 10mTalk | ScalerEval: Automated and Consistent Evaluation Testbed for Auto-scalers in Microservices Tool Demonstrations Shuaiyu Xie School of Computer Science, Wuhan University, China, Yang Luo Wuhan University, Yuzhen Tan Wuhan University, Yunqing Yong Wuhan University, Xiaosong Huang Peking University, Jian Wang Wuhan University, Bing Li Wuhan University | ||
12:10 20mTalk | WalleTruth: Visual-oriented Software Testing for Web3 Wallet Browser Extensions Research Papers Xiaohui Hu Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Ningyu He Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Haoyu Wang Huazhong University of Science and Technology DOI Authorizer link | ||