User-based multi-upgradation vulnerability discovery model

Abstract

A software practice like code reusability in the successive upgradations of the particular software is increasing vigorously. The software is upgraded when the new requirements of the customers explored in the market, thus it includes some of its own newly defined functionalities and some existing functionalities. However, the upgradation/version also includes the vulnerabilities which are generated either due to the effect of new features or the shared ones that were not resolved while testing. In operational phase, the vulnerabilities are discovered through the users who may adopt multiple versions of the software or have used only the single version. We have observed that the developers face many problems while predicting the multi upgradation vulnerabilities as some proportion of the vulnerabilities and the users of the successive versions are found to be similar. In this research work, we proposed a mathematical model that highlights the prediction of user-dependent vulnerabilities in a Multi-Upgradation software system. The model emphasizes on the impact of the shared code on the vulnerability's frequency rate and user's growth rate. A numerical is illustrated to validate the model capabilities with the help of real life data set.