Rust has been voted the most-loved programming language for eight years in its short life of 14 years. The popularity of the language is owed to its safety, one of the primary reasons it was created. Rust was designed to be a safer option, providing safety-first principles to ensure programmers write stable and extendable, asynchronous code. 

Rust is structured in such a way that it inherently prevents developers from inadvertently introducing the most prevalent kinds of security flaws that are exploitable. This characteristic of the language could greatly impact the routine process of patching vulnerabilities and improving cybersecurity. 

Earlier this year Microsoft began rewriting their core Windows libraries in Rust. “You will actually have Windows booting with Rust in the kernel in probably the next several weeks or months, which is really cool,” said David Weston, VP of OS security for Windows. He further said that, “The basic goal here was to convert some of these internal C++ data types into their Rust equivalents.” 

Additionally, with the backing of AWS, sudo and su are being rewritten in Rust to replace critical but outdated infrastructure components with memory-safe alternatives. Along with Microsoft, Rust is being actively embraced by Amazon, Apple, Google and Mozilla. 

Multiple Safety Features

One of the primary security features of Rust is its emphasis on memory safety. This is achieved through a strict ownership model, which dictates how memory is allocated and managed. 

Each piece of data in Rust has a unique owner, and the language enforces rules about how and when data can be accessed or modified. This system effectively prevents common memory errors such as buffer overflows and null pointer dereferences, which are frequent attack vectors in other languages.

Apart from its primary feature of safety in memory allocation, Rust stands out in its approach to concurrency, which is a key aspect of its design providing safety and security in multi-threaded applications. 

The language’s unique ownership rules are applied to its concurrency model, making data access thread-safe and free from data races. This careful handling of concurrency not only enhances performance but also significantly reduces a range of security vulnerabilities that are typically associated with multi-threaded environments.

Complementing its concurrency model, Rust boasts a minimal to no runtime. This serves as a substantial security advantage. Unlike languages that depend on larger runtimes or virtual machines, Rust’s lean runtime architecture minimizes the potential attack surface. This means there are fewer components that could be targeted or exploited by hackers, enhancing the overall security of applications developed in Rust.

Error handling in Rust is another cornerstone of its security framework. The language mandates that programmers explicitly handle potential errors, thereby preventing unexpected crashes or behaviors. This explicit and predictable approach to error handling is integrated into the language at the compile-time level, significantly reducing the chances of runtime errors that could be leveraged in cyber attacks.

Rust also benefits greatly from its package manager, Cargo. Cargo is pivotal in maintaining secure code, as it efficiently manages dependencies, tracks library versions, and ensures that all components of a project are up-to-date. This functionality is crucial for security; it enables developers to promptly implement patches and updates, particularly for libraries that may have vulnerabilities.

The active involvement of the Rust community plays a vital role in the language’s security posture. Regular updates and revisions by the community help to address known vulnerabilities and continually improve the language’s security features. This proactive and community-driven approach is integral to maintaining Rust’s resilience against security threats.

In summary, while no programming language can offer absolute protection against hacking, Rust’s thoughtful design, encompassing safe concurrency, minimal runtime, explicit error handling, efficient package management, and an engaged community, positions it as a more secure alternative compared to languages like C and C++. These attributes collectively contribute to Rust’s ability to effectively mitigate a wide array of common vulnerabilities.

Rapid migration

Developers shifting from other languages are drawn to Rust’s compelling feature set. Its efficient management of concurrent programming enables parallel code execution, and its lightweight, fast nature, with benchmarks rivaling C/C++, is a significant advantage. This shift is in line with the NSA’s recommendation to move from C/C++ to memory-safe languages like Rust.

Rust’s development has been user-centric, focusing on essential yet often overlooked features. These include generics, algebraic types, Foreign Function Interface (FFI) interoperability, a robust dependency management tool, and procedural macros, all of which contribute to a more enjoyable programming experience in Rust.

In the tech industry, major players are adopting Rust for its benefits. Mozilla, for instance, is revamping Firefox with Rust to enhance its security, reliability, and performance. Similarly, Amazon is leveraging Rust for AWS and Kindle, and is even developing a Rust compiler for Java, prioritizing performance and scalability.

Google and Dropbox are also embracing Rust. Google uses Rust in Chrome and Android and is creating a Rust compiler for Go to bolster security and reliability. Dropbox, meanwhile, is transitioning its backend to Rust, aiming for improved performance and scalability.

Facebook, too, is tapping into Rust’s potential. The company is using Rust in developing the Libra blockchain and Oculus VR, and is working on a Rust compiler for C++, focusing on creating more secure and reliable software.