A presentation by Filip Pizlo at SSW 2026, titled "Fil-C: Garbage In, Memory Safety Out!", challenges the conventional belief that C and C++ are inherently unsafe languages. Pizlo introduces Fil-C, an implementation designed to provide the same level of protection against memory safety exploits as the safest programming languages.

Despite C and C++'s reputation for vulnerability, where a single bug can lead to remote code execution even with advanced mitigations, this talk explores how Fil-C achieves memory safety. Pizlo delves into the technical aspects, including the compiler, language runtime, and the process of porting existing software to the Fil-C environment.

The talk aims to demonstrate that with the right implementation, C and C++ codebases can be made as secure as those written in memory-safe languages, addressing the significant pressure programmers face to migrate away from these foundational languages. The presentation was part of the Software Should Work 2026 conference.