Linux’s sudo and su Are Being Rewritten in Rust

Linux is a mult-user operating system with a root account that has ultimate access to the system. When a normal user needs to perform a task that would normally require root access, they can use sudo or su to temporarily elevate their privileges. This is a much safer option than logging into the root account directly.

According to Phoronix, both utilities are being rewritten in Rust to take advantage of the memory safety features inherent in the language. According to memorysafety.org, the “work is being done by a joint team from Ferrous Systems and Tweede Golf with generous support from Amazon Web Services.”