The Current State of Research on Malware Written in the Rust Programming Language
Meghna Praveen, Wesam A. Almobaideen · 2023
Malware is conventionally written in the C/C++ programming languages. However, a recent trend has been observed where other languages are being used to write malware. One such language is the Rust programming language. In this paper, we conduct a systematic literature review to identify the current state of research on malware written in the Rust programming language. We outline the research gaps and challenges faced by researchers when studying malware written in the Rust programming language. The study found that while the industry is doing well in terms of researching and developing tools and techniques, much of it is not openly available. Moreover, there is a lack of academic research in this field, highlighting the need for academia to conduct more research to keep up with the evolving threat of malware. The study concludes that open research initiatives should be encouraged to ensure that the latest developments in malware research are accessible to all. The material in this paper is not endorsed, reviewed or approved by the Rust Foundation.