Articles by Diane Hosfelt
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Implications of Rewriting a Browser Component in Rust
There have been 69 security bugs in Firefox’s style component since the browser was first released in 2002. If we'd had a time machine and could have written this component in Rust from the start, 51 (73.9%) of these bugs would not have been possible. Rust isn't foolproof, but by removing the burden of memory safety, Rust lets programmers focus on logical correctness and soundness.
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Fearless Security: Thread Safety
Multithreading allows programs to do more faster, but adds synchronization bugs and attacks. Programming languages have evolved different concurrency strategies to help developers manage both the performance and security challenges of multi-threaded applications. Diane Hosfelt explores the challenges of thread safety, and the approach that Rust takes.
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Fearless Security: Memory Safety
Memory safety violations leave programs vulnerable to security threats like unintentional data leakage and remote code execution. There are ways to ensure memory safety, including smart pointers and garbage collection. Research engineer Diane Hosfelt explains how Rust’s ownership system achieves memory safety while minimizing performance costs.
