Tock: From Research To Securing 10 Million Computers
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Tock began 10 years ago as a research operating system developed by academics to help other academics build urban sensing applications. By leveraging a new language (Rust) and new hardware protection mechanisms, Tock enabled "Multiprogramming a 64 kB Computer Safely and Efficiently". Today, it is an open-source project with a vibrant community of users and contributors. It is deployed on root-of-trust hardware in data-center servers and on millions of laptops; it is used to develop automotive and space products, wearable electronics, and hardware security tokens—all while remaining a platform for operating systems research. This paper focuses on the impact of Tock's technical design on its adoption, the challenges and unexpected benefits of using a type-safe language (Rust)—particularly in security-sensitive settings—and the experience of supporting a production open-source operating system from academia.
Authors: Leon Schuermann, Brad Campbell, Branden Ghena, Philip Levis, Amit Levy, Pat Pannuto
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: National Science Foundation, Google
Awards: Synergy: Collaborative: CPS-Security: End-to-End Security for the Internet of Things, POSE: Phase II: A Sustainable Open Source Consortium for the Tock Secure Embedded Operating System, CAREER: Encapsulating Unsafe Code in Low-Level Systems, CAREER: Repurposable Devices for a Greener Internet of Things, Synergy: Collaborative: CPS-Security: End-to-End Security for the Internet of Things
OpenAlex ID: W7084086119