Next Generation Systems Languages

The goal of this work is to explore techniques for making today's software, which is largely written in type-unsafe, low-level languages such as C, as reliable and trustworthy as code written in type-safe, high-level languages such as Java or ML. Type-safe languages automatically block or prevent common vulnerabilities such as buffer overruns, format string attacks, and overflow attacks which are all too common in today's critical software infrastructure. To this end, we have implemented a prototype compiler called Cyclone, which provides the benefits of type safety through a combination of static analysis, programmer annotations, and run-time checks. Particular emphasis has been placed on scalable, static analyses to ensure that programmers can retain good performance and high reliability.
Prepared in cooperation with Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Report no. 40078.