The importance of memory-safe programming languages in cybersecurity has been emphasized by the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD).
Description
The ONCD has highlighted the significance of memory safety in preventing data exposure and corruption, which can lead to cyberattacks [2]. National Cyber Director Harry Coker has stressed the need for better diagnostics to measure cybersecurity quality and the importance of transitioning to memory-safe languages like Rust to prevent security bugs. The ONCD is actively working on a long-term effort to migrate to memory-safe code and engaging with stakeholders to promote a memory-safe future. Up to 70% of security vulnerabilities in memory-unsafe languages are attributed to memory safety issues [1], with common vulnerabilities in languages like C and C++ being spatial and temporal memory safety issues. The ONCD has advocated for the adoption of memory-safe languages such as C#, Go [2], Java [2] [4], Python [2] [4], Rust [2] [3] [4], and Swift to eliminate memory safety vulnerabilities in hardware and software [1]. These efforts are part of the US government’s National Cybersecurity Strategy [1], which aims to enhance security and resilience by design and shift cybersecurity responsibility to technology creators [1]. In the UK [1], the DSbD initiative is focusing on securing computer hardware through the CHERI architecture to prevent memory safety and privilege escalation vulnerabilities [1]. Industry experts support the adoption of memory-safe languages to enhance cybersecurity [4], with the National Security Agency and CISA providing guidance on transitioning to memory-safe languages to improve software security. Microsoft’s experience has shown that a significant number of security vulnerabilities in software are related to memory safety concerns [3].
Conclusion
The adoption of memory-safe programming languages is crucial in eliminating vulnerabilities and enhancing cybersecurity. Efforts by government agencies and industry initiatives are working towards a more secure future by promoting the use of memory-safe languages to prevent cyberattacks and improve software security.
References
[1] https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/white-house-tech-memory/
[2] https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2024/02/white-house-urges-software-developers-use-memory-safe-programming-languages/394455/
[3] https://cyber.vumetric.com/security-news/2024/02/26/white-house-urges-devs-to-switch-to-memory-safe-programming-languages/
[4] https://www.meritalk.com/articles/oncd-report-pushes-memory-safe-languages-better-cyber-diagnostics/
