When we talk of software testing, technical prowess in white box testing involves detecting vulnerabilities in the logical structure of the code implementation. White box testing is also referred to as glass box testing, clear box testing and structural testing. It requires testers to create test cases to test the internal path of programs. The tester should have strong programming skills to choose the appropriate inputs for checking the accuracy of program logics in order to get the required output. White box testing should ideally
be practiced in the following formats:
- Risk analysis should
be done to streamline the testing process. - All the testing activities to be performed should be mentioned in a test strategy to
achieve testing goals.
- The whole testing
process should be organized in the form of a test plan. - To execute tests
successfully, test environments should be prepared. - Results should be
communicated after the execution of the tests. - A detailed report
should be prepared.
Comprehensive White Box
Testing
In order to ensure that every unit in the application is tested at least once, the following test
plans should be created:
Unit Testing: Performed during development to check the functionality of a specific unit/statement.
Static and Dynamic Analysis: While static analysis is finding any defect in the code without actually executing it, in dynamic testing the output is evaluated through code
execution.
Statement Coverage: Tester ensures that the execution is performed on each coding statement at
least once to diminish the scope of side effects.
Branch Coverage: Carried out to ensure that the coding does not have any invalid branch that may
lead to unusual application behavior.
Security Testing: It ensures, through various testing techniques, that only the authorized people have access to the code.
Mutation Testing: After the bugs or defects are fixed, the specific code is tested for its functionality
and validity over the previous code.
White Box Testing Techniques
Following are some the white
box testing techniques:
Data-Flow Analysis: In this test, cases are developed keeping in mind the program data flow. This
also helps in understanding the program better.
Code-Based Fault Injection: To check the behavior of the program, a piece of code is deliberately
injected into the code. This helps is exposing vulnerabilities, if any.
Abuse Cases: The code is viewed
from a hacker’s point of view to analyze its behavior.
Advantages of White Box Testing
In white box testing, the application is bound to get tested more effectively. This is because the white box tester is aware of all the coding aspects and can test the application through exact input or data. There may be hidden defects caused by unnecessary coding lines that can be easily removed through white box testing. Moreover, all the coding lines can be optimized during white box testing, which alleviates the likelihood
of bugs.
Disadvantages of White Box Testing
White box testing increases the overall cost because only the person who has in-depth knowledge of the internal logical structure can carry out this testing. Moreover, the application may fail due to hidden errors that can get ignored, since it is impossible to check the whole coding
to see which unit is faulty.