Next Generation Systems Languages

Abstract

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.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA467170

Entities

People

  • Greg Morrisett

Organizations

  • Harvard University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assembly Languages
  • Compilers
  • Computer Languages
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • High Level Languages
  • High Reliability
  • Infrastructure
  • Language
  • Operating Systems
  • Programming Languages
  • Reliability
  • Students
  • Theoretical Computer Science

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Engineering

Readers

  • Cybersecurity.
  • Database Systems and Applications
  • Parallel and Distributed Computing.