RIFT: Open-Source Rust Malware Analyzer Released by Microsoft

As cybercriminals and nation-state actors increasingly turn to the Rust programming language for malware development, Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center has unveiled a powerful new open-source tool called RIFT to help security analysts combat this growing threat.

Rust, renowned for its speed, memory safety, and robustness, is now being exploited for its advantages in creating malware that is harder to detect and analyze.

Microsoft’s release of RIFT marks a significant step forward in equipping the cybersecurity community with specialized tools to keep pace with evolving threats.

The Challenge of Rust-Based Malware

Rust’s unique features—such as memory safety, concurrency, and static linking—make it an attractive choice for both legitimate developers and malicious actors. However, these same qualities present major hurdles for malware analysts.

Rust binaries are typically statically linked, embedding all dependencies directly into the executable. This results in much larger binaries with ...