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World Congress 2023 • Aug 11, 2023

Using WebAssembly to run, extend, and secure your application

Niels Tanis

WebAssembly has outgrown the browser. It is now a powerhouse for backend security. Learn how WASI sandboxing neutralizes supply chain threats in your cloud-native apps.

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#1 about 2 min

Introduction to WebAssembly as a compilation target

WebAssembly acts as a high-performance compilation target capable of natively executing logic across diverse application environments.

#2 about 2 min

Early implementations of WebAssembly across major industries

Engineering teams rapidly adapted WebAssembly to migrate monolithic application code into the browser and target multiple platforms simultaneously.

#3 about 2 min

Core design principles of the WebAssembly standard

WebAssembly prioritizes fast binary instructions, readable code structures, default sandboxing, and strict backward compatibility to ensure web stability.

#4 about 1 min

Memory isolation and module ownership in WebAssembly

WebAssembly restricts memory access entirely by confining module operations to a specific contiguous mutable array without cross-module visibility.

#5 about 1 min

Enforcing code flow integrity within WebAssembly executions

The core compilation phase embeds execution maps that instantly panic and halt code flow upon detecting logical deviations.

#6 about 2 min

Running framework execution engines inside the browser

Standard framework engines compiled into WebAssembly transform default virtual machines into functional browser executables using JavaScript bridges.

#7 about 3 min

Extending capabilities with the WebAssembly System Interface

The Bytecode Alliance created WASI to safely expose external system interactions and host capabilities inside strict non-web boundaries.

#8 about 1 min

The coexistence of Docker and WebAssembly modules

Lightweight module deployments integrate alongside traditional Docker frameworks to increase system flexibility and reduce runtime footprint overhead.

#9 about 4 min

Enforcing local file permissions with capability-based security

Enforcing strict capability-based authorization parameters entirely prevents isolated modules from interacting with native system files without explicit flags.

#10 about 4 min

Extending managed applications with external Rust components

Cross-language setups require strict directory mapping constraints to maintain strong capability-based protections when calling external module dependencies.

#11 about 4 min

Preventing dependency vulnerabilities with the component model

Isolating transitive operations inside nanoprocesses effectively blocks vulnerable external packages from automatically inheriting system access rights.

#12 about 4 min

Testing the security posture of WebAssembly runtimes

Rigorous security audits and systematic fuzzing verify that underlying runtime engines gracefully resist unauthorized execution attempts.

Matching moments

1:32 min

Core principles and security model of WebAssembly

Stefan Schöberl · WWC 2023

4:54 min

The origins and design principles of WebAssembly

Maurice Brinkmann · WWC 2023

3:36 min

Core concepts of WebAssembly portability and sandboxed execution

Gaurav Gahlot Gaurav Gahlot · WWC Europe 2026

2:40 min

Core concepts and execution mechanics of WebAssembly modules

Edo Edo · WWC 2024

5:06 min

Origins and design goals of WebAssembly

Matt Butcher · WWC 2023

2:27 min

Introduction to WebAssembly in a cloud computing context

Edo Edo · WWC 2024

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