GOOGLE has announced the integration of a Rust-based Domain Name System parser into Pixel 10 modem firmware to strengthen security by pushing memory-safe code down to the baseband level. The company says the Rust parser significantly reduces security risk by mitigating an entire class of vulnerabilities in a high‑risk area, and it lays the groundwork for broader adoption of memory-safe code elsewhere, according to Google Pixel Team.
The feature, described as the first Pixel device to embed a memory-safe language into its modem, builds on prior efforts to harden the cellular baseband against exploitation. Google opted for the DNS protocol for the Rust implementation because DNS underpins modern cellular communications, and vulnerabilities in memory-unsafe code could lead to out-of-bounds memory accesses, as highlighted in CVE-2024-27227.
The team selected the hickory-proto crate to implement the protocol, adapting it for bare metal and embedded environments, and uses a custom cargo-gnaw tool to manage more than 30 dependencies. The update was announced on 14 April 2026.