Posts Tagged ‘MemorySafety’
[OxidizeConf2024] Panel: What Has to Change to Increase Rust Adoption in Industrial Companies?
Overcoming Barriers to Adoption
The promise of memory-safe programming has positioned Rust as a leading candidate for industrial applications, yet its adoption in traditional sectors faces significant hurdles. At OxidizeConf2024, a panel moderated by Florian Gilcher from Ferrous Systems, featuring Michał Fita, James Munns from OneVariable UG, and Steve Klabnik from Oxide Computer Company, explored strategies to enhance Rust’s uptake in industrial companies. The discussion, enriched by audience questions, addressed cultural, technical, and managerial barriers, offering actionable insights for developers and organizations.
Michał highlighted the managerial perspective, noting that industrial companies often prioritize stability and cost over innovation. The challenge lies in convincing decision-makers of Rust’s benefits, particularly when hiring skilled Rust developers is difficult. James added that industrial users, rooted in mechanical and electrical engineering, are less likely to share challenges publicly, complicating efforts to gauge their needs. Florian emphasized the role of initiatives like Ferrocene, a safety-compliant Rust compiler, in opening doors to regulated industries like automotive.
Technical and Cultural Shifts
Steve underscored Rust’s technical advantages, such as memory safety and concurrency guarantees, which align with regulatory pressures from organizations like the NSA advocating for memory-safe languages. However, he cautioned against framing Rust as a direct replacement for C++, which risks alienating skilled C++ developers. Instead, the panel advocated for a collaborative approach, highlighting Rust’s total cost of ownership benefits—fewer bugs, faster debugging, and improved maintainability. James noted that tools like cargo-deny and cargo-tree enhance security and dependency management, addressing industrial concerns about reliability.
Cultural resistance also plays a role, particularly in companies reliant on trade secrets. Michał pointed out that Rust’s open-source ethos can clash with proprietary mindsets, requiring tailored strategies to demonstrate value. The panel suggested focusing on high-impact areas, such as safety-critical components, where Rust’s guarantees provide immediate benefits. By integrating Rust incrementally, companies can leverage existing C++ codebases while transitioning to safer, more modern practices.
Engaging Stakeholders and Building Community
Convincing stakeholders requires a nuanced approach, avoiding dismissive rhetoric about legacy languages. Florian stressed the importance of meeting developers where they are, respecting the expertise of C++ practitioners while showcasing Rust’s practical advantages. Steve highlighted successful adoptions, such as Oxide’s server stack, as case studies to inspire confidence. The panel also discussed the role of community efforts, such as the Rust Foundation, in providing resources and certifications to ease adoption.
Audience input reinforced the need for positive messaging. A C++ developer cautioned against framing Rust as a mandate driven by external pressures, advocating for dialogue that emphasizes mutual benefits. The panel agreed, suggesting that events like OxidizeConf and open-source contributions can bridge gaps between communities, fostering collaboration. By addressing technical, cultural, and managerial challenges, Rust can gain traction in industrial settings, driving innovation without discarding legacy expertise.
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[OxidizeConf2024] C++ Migration Strategies
Bridging Legacy and Modern Systems
The push for memory-safe software has highlighted the limitations of C++ in today’s data-driven landscape, prompting organizations to explore Rust as a modern alternative. At OxidizeConf2024, Til Adam from KDAB and Florian Gilcher from Ferrous Systems presented a strategic approach to migrating from C++ to Rust, emphasizing an “Aloha” philosophy of compassion and pragmatism. With decades of experience in C++ development, Til and Florian offered insights into integrating Rust into existing codebases without requiring a full rewrite, ensuring efficiency and safety.
Drawing an analogy to music, Til compared C++ to a complex electric guitar and Rust to a simpler, joy-inducing ukulele. While C++ remains prevalent in legacy systems, its complexity can lead to errors, particularly in concurrency and memory management. Rust’s memory safety and modern features address these issues, but Florian stressed that migration must be practical, leveraging the C Application Binary Interface (C ABI) as a lingua franca for interoperability. This allows Rust and C++ to coexist, enabling incremental adoption in existing projects.
Practical Migration Techniques
The speakers outlined a multi-level migration strategy, starting with low-level integration using the C ABI. This involves wrapping C++ code in extern C functions to interface with Rust, a process Florian described as effective but limited by platform-specific complexities. Tools like cxx and autocxx simplify this by automating bindings, though challenges remain with templates and generics. Til shared examples from KDAB’s projects, where Rust was integrated into C++ codebases for specific components, reducing security risks without disrupting existing functionality.
At a higher level, Florian advocated for a component-based approach, where Rust modules replace C++ components in areas like concurrency or security-critical code. This strategy maximizes Rust’s benefits, such as its borrow checker, while preserving investments in C++ code. The speakers emphasized identifying high-value areas—such as modules prone to concurrency issues—where Rust’s safety guarantees provide immediate benefits, aligning with organizational goals like regulatory compliance and developer productivity.
Balancing Innovation and Pragmatism
Migration decisions are driven by a balance of enthusiasm, regulatory pressure, and resource constraints. Til noted that younger developers often champion Rust for its modern features, while executives respond to mandates like the NSA’s push for memory-safe languages. However, budget and time limitations necessitate a pragmatic approach, focusing on areas where Rust delivers significant value. Florian highlighted successful migrations at KDAB and Ferrous Systems, where Rust was adopted for new features or rewrites of problematic components, improving safety and maintainability.
The speakers also addressed challenges, such as the lack of direct support for C++ templates in Rust. While tools like autocxx show promise, ongoing community efforts are needed to enhance interoperability. By sharing best practices and real-world examples, Til and Florian underscored Rust’s potential to modernize legacy systems, fostering a collaborative approach to innovation that respects existing investments while embracing future-ready technologies.
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[DefCon32] The Rise and Fall of Binary Exploitation
Stephen Sims, a veteran cybersecurity expert, navigates the evolving landscape of binary exploitation, a discipline long revered as the pinnacle of hacking challenges. His presentation at DEF CON 32 examines the impact of modern mitigations like Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), and newer technologies such as Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET). Stephen explores how these defenses have reshaped the field, while emphasizing that the pursuit of novel exploitation techniques remains vibrant despite increasing complexities.
The Golden Era of Binary Exploitation
Stephen begins by reflecting on the historical significance of binary exploitation, where vulnerabilities in low-level languages like C++ enabled attackers to manipulate system memory. In the early 2000s, exploiting large applications was a hallmark of hacking prowess. However, Stephen notes that memory safety issues have prompted a shift toward safer languages like Rust, though these are not yet mature enough to fully replace C++. This transition has made exploitation more challenging but not obsolete.
Impact of Modern Mitigations
Delving into technical details, Stephen dissects key mitigations like DEP, which prevents code execution in data memory, and ASLR, which randomizes memory addresses. He also discusses CET, which enforces control-flow integrity, and Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), which isolates critical processes. These protections, often disabled by default on Windows to avoid breaking applications, have significantly raised the bar for attackers. Stephen illustrates their enforcement through practical examples, showing how they thwart traditional exploits.
Ethical and Legislative Challenges
Stephen addresses the ethical dilemmas facing researchers, noting that restrictive legislation, such as the Paul Maul Act, could push exploit development underground. He argues that the more researchers are constrained, the greater the risk of unethical markets flourishing. By sharing insights from past research, including contributions from Jeremy Tinder and Haroon Mir, Stephen underscores the need for responsible disclosure to balance innovation with security.
The Future of Exploitation
Concluding, Stephen likens modern exploit development to skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, where past techniques are now accessible to newcomers, enabling rapid advancement. He predicts that as bounties for zero-day exploits rise—some now fetching $500,000—the incentive to bypass mitigations will persist. Stephen encourages researchers to innovate ethically, leveraging open knowledge to uncover new vulnerabilities while navigating an increasingly fortified digital landscape.