The Cybersecurity Project Handbook: 32 Hands-On Projects for Offensive, Defensive & Emerging Domains

Project Chapter 14

Chapter 14 — FuzzMaster

Based on: SIH1750 — Creating a Comprehensive Web Application Fuzzer

Skills Required:

  • Web application security
  • Fuzzing methodologies (mutation-based, generation-based)
  • Protocol grammar design
  • Python programming
  • OWASP testing framework
  • CI/CD integration
  • Docker and cloud deployment basics

Project Description:
FuzzMaster is an advanced web application fuzzing framework designed for comprehensive security testing. It combines grammar-based payload generation, session-aware fuzzing, and coverage-guided feedback to discover vulnerabilities including SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF, and business logic flaws. The tool integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous fuzz testing of web applications, enhancing secure development lifecycles.


Tech Stack:

  • Python for fuzzing engine and payload mutation
  • Grammar specification language for defining protocol rules
  • Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP for integration and replay capabilities
  • Coverage feedback with instrumentation tools (e.g., code coverage agents)
  • Docker for containerization
  • CI/CD platforms like Jenkins or GitLab

Week-wise Plan:

Week 1 — Setup and Grammar Definition

  • Define target web application protocols, inputs, and workflows.
  • Develop protocol grammar files specifying valid request/response structures.
  • Initialize project repositories and build basic payload mutators.
  • Deliverable: Grammar definitions and initial payload generator.

Week 2 — Session and Context Handling

  • Add session management to maintain authentication states during fuzzing.
  • Implement CSRF and anti-replay token handling in generated requests.
  • Build state machine for multi-step workflows.
  • Deliverable: Session-aware fuzzing engine.

Week 3 — Coverage-Guided Feedback

  • Integrate code coverage tools to monitor execution paths during fuzzing.
  • Develop feedback loop to prioritize payloads maximizing code coverage.
  • Deliverable: Coverage-guided fuzzing prototype.

Week 4 — Payload Mutation and Generation

  • Enhance payload mutators with context-sensitive mutation (e.g., SQL syntax).
  • Implement generation-based payloads from grammar expansions.
  • Deliverable: Combined mutation+generation payload engine.

Week 5 — Integration with Existing Tools

  • Build connectors for Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP to send fuzzed requests.
  • Enable result ingestion and deduplication from external tools.
  • Deliverable: Integration modules and data normalization engine.

Week 6 — Continuous Fuzzing and Automation

  • Setup CI/CD integration for triggering fuzzing on new builds.
  • Automate report generation for results from ongoing fuzz campaigns.
  • Deliverable: CI/CD pipeline integration with automated fuzz runs.

Week 7 — Reporting and Dashboard

  • Develop dashboards to visualize fuzzing progress, coverage, and vulnerabilities discovered.
  • Implement filters, drill-down analytics, and export functionality.
  • Deliverable: Interactive reporting dashboard.

Week 8 — Testing and Final Documentation

  • Perform extensive fuzzing against benchmark targets (e.g., OWASP Juice Shop).
  • Refine engine performance and instrumentation overhead.
  • Prepare user and developer documentation.
  • Deliverable: Tested fuzzing framework with full documentation and demo.

Testing and Deliverables:

  • Deploy in lab environment against web app targets.
  • Measure code coverage improvements and vulnerability finds.
  • Deliver source code, grammar files, CI/CD configs, and demo videos.