WhatsApp has rewritten its media handling library in Rust, replacing 160,000 lines of C++ with 90,000 lines of memory-safe code for 3 billion devices. The rollout, part of a system called Kaleidoscope

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WhatsApp rewrote its media handling library from 160,000 lines of C++ to 90,000 lines of Rust, deploying memory-safe code to 3 billion devices across platforms. The Kaleidoscope system uses differential fuzzing for bug-for-bug compatibility and detects malicious patterns in media files. This follows Mozilla's 2016 Rust MP4 parser and mirrors industry-wide shifts, with Google reducing Android memory safety bugs from 76% to under 20% through Rust adoption.

WhatsApp Deploys Rust-Based Media Parser to Block Malware on 3 Billion Devices