DeepSec 2024 Press Release: Choice of programming language does not determine IT security. NSA warns of memory errors while ignoring the majority of other security vulnerabilities
There are over 900 clearly classified defects in software applications. Some of these are because of memory errors, where code accesses memory areas incorrectly and subsequent errors can lead to crashes or other effects. In 2022, the US National Security Agency (NSA) warned against using the programming languages C and C++ to avoid memory errors. The recommendation is to use other programming languages that prevent these errors. This recommendation ignores reality, as these problems can no longer occur in modern, correct C++ code because of the language specification. Furthermore, the NSA’s proposal ignores existing code that is well tested and ready for production, and much more dangerous defects that are still possible in all programming languages. Modern C++ Bjarne Stroustrup published the C++ programming language back in 1978, and it has continued to evolve