CISA, in collaboration with U.S. NSA, FBI, and international cybersecurity agencies, has unveiled a joint guide titled “The Case for Memory Safe Roadmaps” under the Secure by Design campaign. This initiative addresses the pervasive issue of memory safety vulnerabilities, commonly exploited by malicious cyber actors. The guide encourages software manufacturers to transition to memory safe programming languages (MSLs) and provides a comprehensive roadmap for eliminating these vulnerabilities. By outlining steps for creating and publishing memory safe roadmaps, the guidance promotes key Secure by Design principles such as ownership of security outcomes, radical transparency, and a top-down approach to secure product development.
Highlighting the critical nature of memory safety vulnerabilities, the guide underscores the significant time and resource costs incurred by both software manufacturers and their customers in preventing and responding to these issues. CISA and its partners strongly urge C-suite executives and technical experts in software companies to not only read the provided guidance but also to implement memory safe roadmaps. This proactive approach aims to enhance cybersecurity measures, ultimately eliminating memory safety vulnerabilities from software products.
For additional information and resources on the Secure by Design initiative and memory safety best practices, interested parties can visit CISA.gov/SecureByDesign. The collaborative effort aims to fortify cybersecurity practices and protect against evolving threats in the software landscape.
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