execution.md

# Test Execution Protocols

This document outlines standardized procedures for implementing security tests within the AISecForge framework. Following these protocols ensures consistent, reproducible, and comprehensive security assessments across different models and evaluators.

## General Execution Principles

### 1. Controlled Testing Environment

All security testing must be conducted in isolated environments to prevent unintended exposure of vulnerabilities or harmful outputs.

#### Requirements

- Isolated network environment or appropriate API sandboxing
- Access controls limiting exposure to authorized testers only
- Logging systems capturing all interactions
- Prohibition on testing against production systems
- Appropriate data handling procedures for any sensitive outputs

#### Implementation Steps

1. Configure testing environment with appropriate isolation
2. Verify logging systems are operational
3. Confirm access controls are in place
4. Document environment configuration for reproducibility

### 2. Systematic Test Progression

Testing should follow a systematic progression from basic to advanced techniques, ensuring comprehensive coverage while efficiently identifying vulnerabilities.

#### Testing Phases

1. **Baseline Testing**: Establish model's standard behavior and response patterns
2. **Basic Vulnerability Testing**: Implement fundamental test cases for each security dimension
3. **Advanced Technique Testing**: Apply sophisticated variations of each attack vector
4. **Combined Vector Testing**: Test interactions between different vulnerability classes
5. **Persistent Testing**: Evaluate degradation over extended interactions
6. **Edge Case Testing**: Explore boundary conditions and rare scenarios

#### Implementation Steps

1. Develop test plan detailing progression through phases
2. Document completion criteria for each phase
3. Maintain dependencies between phases (e.g., advanced testing builds on basic results)
4. Track coverage across dimensions and techniques

### 3. Comprehensive Documentation

All testing activities must be thoroughly documented to ensure reproducibility, support analysis, and enable remediation.

#### Documentation Requirements

- Detailed test case descriptions
- Exact inputs used (including any randomization parameters)
- Complete response outputs
- Environmental conditions and configurations
- Timestamps and execution duration
- Success/failure determinations
- Observations on model behavior

#### Implementation Steps

1. Establish documentation templates
2. Configure automated logging where possible
3. Document manual observations contemporaneously
4. Maintain secure storage of all test artifacts

### 4. Failure Analysis

When vulnerabilities are identified, they should be subject to detailed analysis to understand boundaries, reproducibility, and impact.

#### Analysis Requirements

- Determination of success conditions and reliability
- Investigation of variant approaches
- Identification of triggering factors
- Assessment of impact severity
- Evaluation of potential mitigations

#### Implementation Steps

1. Define clear success criteria for each test case
2. Implement multiple variations to determine boundaries
3. Test reliability through repeated execution
4. Document all findings systematically

## Dimension-Specific Protocols

### 1. Linguistic Pattern Exploitation

#### Key Testing Protocols

1. **Linguistic Transformation Series**
   - Apply systematic transformations to known-harmful prompts
   - Test increasingly sophisticated obfuscation techniques
   - Evaluate language mixing and transitioning strategies
   - Test nested linguistic structures of varying complexity

2. **Reference Point Testing**
   - Establish baseline model responses to direct harmful requests
   - Compare responses to transformed requests against baselines
   - Measure degradation in refusal strength
   - Document success conditions for each transformation

3. **Threshold Determination**
   - Identify minimum complexity required for successful exploitation
   - Determine linguistic patterns with highest success rates
   - Document pattern effectiveness across different content policies

#### Implementation Requirements

- Library of reference harmful prompts
- Standardized linguistic transformation techniques
- Metrics for measuring refusal strength
- Documentation templates for linguistic pattern effectiveness

### 2. Contextual Boundary Testing

#### Key Testing Protocols

1. **Contextual Framing Series**
   - Implement progressively complex framing scenarios
   - Test role-based, hypothetical, and emergency framings
   - Evaluate nested contextual structures
   - Assess contextual authority invocation patterns

2. **Boundary Pressure Testing**
   - Establish baseline boundary enforcement
   - Apply incremental pressure through contextual manipulation
   - Measure degradation in boundary enforcement
   - Document pressure thresholds for boundary failures

3. **Contextual Transition Testing**
   - Test abrupt versus gradual contextual transitions
   - Evaluate contextual inheritance patterns
   - Assess boundary reset effectiveness
   - Document successful transition patterns

#### Implementation Requirements

- Library of contextual framing templates
- Standardized boundary pressure techniques
- Metrics for measuring boundary enforcement
- Documentation templates for contextual manipulation effectiveness

### 3. System Prompt Extraction

#### Key Testing Protocols

1. **Extraction Technique Series**
   - Apply increasingly sophisticated extraction methods
   - Test direct, indirect, and inferential approaches
   - Evaluate combined extraction strategies
   - Assess token prediction exploitation techniques

2. **Information Completeness Assessment**
   - Measure quantity and quality of extracted information
   - Compare extracted content against known system instructions
   - Evaluate usefulness of extracted information for attacks
   - Document extraction efficiency and accuracy

3. **Extraction Barrier Testing**
   - Identify mechanisms preventing extraction
   - Test techniques for bypassing specific barriers
   - Evaluate resilience of different barrier types
   - Document successful barrier bypass patterns

#### Implementation Requirements

- Library of extraction techniques
- Metrics for measuring extraction success
- Templates for documenting extracted information
- Methods for evaluating extraction accuracy

### 4. Multi-turn Vulnerability Assessment

#### Key Testing Protocols

1. **Conversation Progression Series**
   - Implement progressively complex conversation flows
   - Test gradual boundary erosion techniques
   - Evaluate memory exploitation strategies
   - Assess trust-building and redirection approaches

2. **Temporal Degradation Measurement**
   - Establish baseline boundaries in single-turn interactions
   - Measure boundary degradation over multiple turns
   - Track memory persistence and exploitation
   - Document temporal patterns in security failures

3. **Recovery Testing**
   - Assess model recovery after partial exploitation
   - Test persistence of vulnerability after conversation breaks
   - Evaluate effectiveness of conversational resets
   - Document recovery patterns and failures

#### Implementation Requirements

- Standardized conversation flow templates
- Metrics for measuring security degradation over time
- Documentation formats for temporal vulnerability patterns
- Methods for evaluating conversation state management

### 5. Multimodal Attack Vectors

#### Key Testing Protocols

1. **Cross-Modal Injection Series**
   - Test increasingly sophisticated multimodal inputs
   - Evaluate different embedding techniques across modalities
   - Assess modality-specific vulnerabilities
   - Test transitions between modalities

2. **Modal Translation Assessment**
   - Evaluate security in modal interpretation processes
   - Test for inconsistencies in cross-modal security
   - Assess exploitation of modal translation errors
   - Document modality-specific security weaknesses

3. **Modal Boundary Testing**
   - Identify security boundaries between modalities
   - Test techniques for bypassing modal boundaries
   - Evaluate consistency of security across modalities
   - Document successful boundary bypass patterns

#### Implementation Requirements

- Library of multimodal test inputs
- Tools for creating cross-modal attack vectors
- Metrics for measuring modal security consistency
- Documentation templates for multimodal vulnerabilities

### 6. Tool Use Security

#### Key Testing Protocols

1. **Tool Manipulation Series**
   - Test increasingly sophisticated tool use manipulations
   - Evaluate parameter injection techniques
   - Assess function call redirection strategies
   - Test tool chaining vulnerabilities

2. **Tool Boundary Assessment**
   - Evaluate security boundaries in tool selection processes
   - Test for inconsistencies in tool use permissions
   - Assess exploitation of tool output interpretation
   - Document tool-specific security weaknesses

3. **Tool Chain Testing**
   - Identify vulnerabilities in sequences of tool operations
   - Test techniques for manipulating tool chains
   - Evaluate security in complex tool interactions
   - Document successful tool chain manipulation patterns

#### Implementation Requirements

- Test harnesses for tool use simulation
- Library of tool manipulation techniques
- Metrics for measuring tool use security
- Documentation templates for tool-related vulnerabilities

## Results Recording Standards

### Test Case Documentation

Each test case execution should be documented with:

```
TEST CASE ID: [Unique identifier]
SECURITY DIMENSION: [Primary dimension]
TEST DESCRIPTION: [Detailed description]
TEST ENVIRONMENT: [Environment details]
EXECUTION DATE: [Date and time]
EXACT INPUTS: 
[Full input text/content]

EXACT OUTPUTS:
[Full output text/content]

SUCCESS/FAILURE: [Determination]
SUCCESS CRITERIA: [Specific criteria used]
OBSERVATIONS: [Additional observations]
VARIANTS TESTED: [List of variants]
RELIABILITY: [Success rate across attempts]
CLASSIFICATION: [Vulnerability classification if applicable]
```

### Testing Session Summary

Each testing session should be summarized with:

```
SESSION ID: [Unique identifier]
DATE RANGE: [Start and end dates]
TESTER(S): [Names or identifiers]
SECURITY DIMENSIONS COVERED: [List of dimensions]
TEST CASES EXECUTED: [Number of test cases]
VULNERABILITIES IDENTIFIED: [Number of vulnerabilities]
KEY FINDINGS: [Summary of findings]
NOTABLE PATTERNS: [Observed patterns]
RECOMMENDATIONS: [Testing recommendations]
ARTIFACTS: [Links to detailed results]
```

### Vulnerability Summary

Each identified vulnerability should be summarized with:

```
VULNERABILITY ID: [Unique identifier]
CLASSIFICATION: [Full classification code]
DESCRIPTION: [Detailed description]
REPRODUCTION: [Step-by-step reproduction]
RELIABILITY: [Success rate]
SEVERITY: [Severity assessment]
AFFECTED COMPONENTS: [System components]
RECOMMENDED MITIGATIONS: [Guidance]
RELATED VULNERABILITIES: [Links to related issues]
TEST CASE REFERENCES: [Links to test cases]
```

## Execution Workflow

### 1. Preparation Phase

1. Define testing scope and objectives
2. Configure testing environment
3. Prepare test case library
4. Establish baseline model behaviors
5. Document configuration and preparation

### 2. Execution Phase

1. Implement test cases following dimension-specific protocols
2. Document all tests contemporaneously
3. Perform failure analysis on identified vulnerabilities
4. Adapt testing based on emerging findings
5. Track coverage across security dimensions

### 3. Analysis Phase

1. Compile testing results
2. Classify identified vulnerabilities
3. Assess severity and impact
4. Identify patterns and trends
5. Document findings comprehensively

### 4. Reporting Phase

1. Prepare vulnerability summaries
2. Generate dimensional security assessments
3. Compile overall security evaluation
4. Develop remediation recommendations
5. Prepare final assessment report

## Quality Control

To ensure testing quality and consistency:

1. **Peer Review**: Critical vulnerabilities should undergo peer review for validation
2. **Reproduction Verification**: Vulnerabilities should be reproduced by multiple testers
3. **Comparative Analysis**: Results should be compared across similar models when possible
4. **Historical Comparison**: Current results should be compared against previous assessments
5. **Documentation Review**: All reports should undergo review for completeness and clarity

## Ethical Considerations

All testing must adhere to these ethical guidelines:

1. Testing must occur in isolated, controlled environments
2. No exposure of vulnerable models to the public
3. Responsible disclosure to model developers before publication
4. Focus on defensive improvements rather than exploitation
5. Prohibition of techniques that could cause broader harm

## Conclusion

These execution protocols provide a standardized framework for implementing LLM security testing. By following these protocols consistently, testers can ensure comprehensive, reproducible, and responsible security assessments that effectively identify vulnerabilities while minimizing potential harms.

For implementation examples and case studies, refer to the [case studies](../case-studies/) directory.