Microsoft is developing a new way for developers to find bugs before they release their software into production. The company announced the preview of its new cloud-based bug detector, dubbed Project Springfield, at its Microsoft Ignite conference.
The system searches and detects bugs before a developer’s software is released in order to save time and money. According to the company, having to deploy patches can cost up to US$1 million.
“Those are the bugs that hackers will try to use,” said Patrice Godefroid, a principal researcher for Microsoft and part of the team behind Project Springfield, in a statement. “The more we can find those bugs ourselves, the more we can fix them before we ship the software.”
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The solution uses artificial intelligence in order to make decisions about potential crashes and concerns. The company said Project Springfield is similar to fuzz testing in that it looks for bugs that could lead to larger problems, but it goes beyond that by providing a more focused approach.
“It’s very simple to use; it’s ‘fire and forget,’ ” said Gavin Thomas, a principal security software engineering manager at Microsoft, in a statement. “You set it up and you walk away.”
Microsoft hopes Project Springfield will be able to help decrease software attacks, provide an easy and affordable solution to fuzz testing, and help businesses revamp their systems for digital transformations.
