NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Combinatorial Testing for Cybersecurity and Reliability
Published
Author(s)
David R. Kuhn, Raghu N. Kacker, Larry Feldman, Gregory A. Witte
Abstract
This bulletin focuses on NIST's combinatorial testing work. Combinatorial testing is a proven method for more effective software testing at lower cost. The key insight underlying combinatorial testing's effectiveness resulted from a series of studies by NIST from 1999 to 2004. NIST research showed that most software bugs and failures are caused by one or two parameters, with progressively fewer by three or more.
Kuhn, D.
, Kacker, R.
, Feldman, L.
and Witte, G.
(2016),
Combinatorial Testing for Cybersecurity and Reliability, ITL Bulletin, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=920921
(Accessed October 9, 2025)