Security expert working full-time on Rust code in Linux thanks to Google support

A developer from the Internet Security Research Group is going full-time with Rust for Linux for a year thanks to financial support from Google. The project should deliver better memory security to the Linux kernel.

The developer, Miguel Ojeda, has been working part-time at ISRG on the Linux kernel’s Prossimo memory protection initiative, but will be doing so full-time as of April thanks to Google’s support, Google and ISRG announced.

According to the initiators of the Prossimo project, Linux suffers from memory vulnerabilities because the kernel is written in C. They think they can avoid the problems in the future by making it possible to develop Linux kernel modules in Rust. To that end, they are joining the Rust for Linux project.

Ojeda acknowledges that adding a second language to the Linux kernel is a decision that needs careful consideration, but he says Rust brings enough advantages over C to do so. He previously published an RFC for the implementation. Linus Torvalds showed interest in the project, but told ZDNet that it seemed driven mainly out of enthusiasm for Rust, and that it was waiting for concrete results.

Rust is a Mozilla-supported programming language that focuses on performance, security, reliability and productivity and is used by Google, Discord and Microsoft, among others. The Internet Security Research Group is also the organization behind Let’s Encrypt’s SSL certificates.