The Russification of Windows: How It Boosts Security and Performance

What can you do to prevent or reverse Russification?

Conclusion

digiairmx | Security

Windows has control over a lot of gadgets, like servers, workstations, and laptops. It is probably the operating system that is used the most frequently worldwide. Windows, then again, is principally written in C and C++, two memory-related bugs and weaknesses inclined programming dialects. These bugs can compromise the security and stability of the system and have been responsible for about 70% of the CVE-listed security flaws fixed by Microsoft since 2006.

To address this long-standing problem, Microsoft has been adopting Rust, a modern programming language that is designed to provide memory safety and prevent many common errors at compile time. Rust is speedy, capable, and expressive, and has been getting pervasiveness among architects and associations for various applications, including web improvement, introduced systems, and Artificial intelligence.

Microsoft began rewriting some parts of Windows in Rust in 2020, starting with the DirectWrite API, which handles text rendering and layout. The new execution, called DWriteCore, comprises more than 150,000 lines of Rust code and around 96,000 lines of C++ code. According to Microsoft, this has resulted in significant improvements in both performance and security, with font operations being 5-15% faster and memory safety bugs being kept away from.

digiairmx | Performance

More recently, Microsoft has also ported the Windows graphics device interface (Win32 GDI) to Rust, with about 36,000 lines of code converted so far. The Win32 GDI is one of the oldest and most fundamental components of Windows, responsible for drawing graphics on the screen. The latest version of Windows 11 can boot with the Rust version of the Win32 GDI, although it is currently disabled behind a feature flag.

The Rust community and biological system benefit from Microsoft's embrace of Rust, in addition to Windows users and designers. In addition to making commitments to the events and working on Rust itself, Microsoft has been developing tools and libraries for Rust developers. For example, Microsoft has created a Rust projection for WinRT (Windows Runtime), which allows Rust developers to easily access Windows APIs and features. Microsoft has also created a tool called Verona that can automatically convert C++ code to Rust code.

digiairmx | Justification

However, Microsoft is not planning to rewrite the entire Windows codebase in Rust anytime soon. It would be unreasonable to alter all of Windows' millions of lines of code, which have been developed over many years. Instead, Microsoft is focusing on rewriting the vulnerable parts of Windows in Rust, while also securing the existing native code with other techniques and tools.

Rust is not an enchanted projectile that can take care of Windows' concerns, however, all an extraordinary resource can assist with making Windows more secure and more productive. By adopting Rust for some of its core components, Microsoft is showing its commitment to improving Windows for its users and developers. As Rust proceeds to advance and develop.

Conclusion

This can influence the appearance, usefulness, execution, and security of Windows. There are several possible reasons why Russification is happening, such as technical challenges. There are also some possible solutions that you can try to prevent or reverse Russification, such as backing up your data and system, restoring your system to a previous version, or switching to another operating system. we can hope to see additional advantages from this "Russification" process from here on out.