CHERI technology for cyber security
CHERI is a semiconductor technology which improves cyber security. This page details government action to increase its adoption.
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Memory safety bugs in software are repeatedly exploited by hackers to cause major security issues. Research from Google and Microsoft shows that 70% of ongoing cyber vulnerabilities are memory safety bugs. Incidents like the WannaCry attack in 2017 which caused $4 billion in damages, and the CrowdStrike outage in 2024 which caused a total of $5.4 billion in direct losses, highlight the severe risks these bugs pose to society, businesses and economies.
Recognising the impact of these costly cyber incidents have been due to memory safety bugs, over £80 million of UK government funding, alongside £200 million of industrial co-investment, has been invested to develop CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions).
This new technology embeds security by design, significantly strengthening the security of digital systems. CHERI can significantly reduce cyber risks by mitigating memory safety bugs and improve the resilience of digital systems through improved compartmentalisation. This increased security and resilience can lead to higher productivity and efficiency across the economy, as businesses confidently adopt digital technologies.
The UK’s involvement in developing CHERI positions it as a leader in cyber security innovation. This leadership can drive further advancements and set new standards in secure system design. We recognise the potential of CHERI to deliver a secure and trusted digital economy for the UK. We are proud to harness expertise from partners across industry, academia and government to support work for the development and adoption of CHERI, and memory safe technologies, ensuring a move towards a more secure and resilient digital future.
Our next step is to transition this technology to commercial products, ready for adoption across the UK, delivering a significant advancement in innovative cyber security. Leveraging industry co-investment, we will partner with the CHERI Alliance, InnovateUK, the University of Cambridge and other stakeholders to drive this effort.
On 7 May 2025 the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced new work to drive the adoption of CHERI.
Please see the attached document for further details.
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