CFP: RustINDIA Conference 2026

Session Description

• Rust is heavily used to create fast and reliable systems, but despite all the guarantees that Rust makes on memory safety, it does not prevent reverse engineering of compiled code. Today’s tools can analyze optimized binaries, so it is essential to explore techniques that go beyond language-level guarantees.

• In this talk, I plan to discuss a multi-stage obfuscation pipeline, which spans various stages of compilation, including source-level transformations, MLIR transformations, LLVM-based transformations, as well as post-link modifications of the binary. Using this, we will explore various techniques, including string encryption, control-flow modifications, API indirection, as well as anti-debugging, and their applicability to binaries produced by LLVM-based software development kits, including Rust, as well as the trade-offs between performance, complexity, and security when applying these techniques in the real world.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding why memory safety does not guarantee reverse engineering resistance

• How compiler infrastructures such as LLVM and MLIR could be used for transformation

• Practical methods for making binaries harder to reverse engineer

Target Audience

• This talk is aimed at systems programmers, Rust developers, and engineers interested in compilers, security, and low-level software infrastructure. It will be useful for anyone curious about how software behaves beyond source code and how binaries can be transformed after compilation.

Speaker Bio

• I am working as a Compiler Research Intern with the Government of India, where I focus on understanding and building components across the compilation pipeline. My recent work includes LLVM and MLIR, particularly around program transformations and binary-level behavior.
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/devalgupta4
  https://github.com/devalgupta404