Erase memory on shutdown

[Valeri Galtsev]

On Sun, August 5, 2018 6:37 pm, Erich Dollansky wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Sun, 5 Aug 2018 10:55:22 -0500 (CDT)
> "Valeri Galtsev" <galtsev at kicp.uchicago.edu> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, August 5, 2018 10:26 am, thor wrote:
>> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_boot_attack
>> >
>>
>> The trouble is that erasing RAM on clean shutdown does not prevent the
>> attacker in the attack as above from still successfully perform the
>
> so, ECC is also here the only possible answer, at least for parts of it.
>
> Still, erasing memory when shutting down helps in some cases. I do this
> on my machines for small parts when a shutdown is detected. It makes at
> least the most obvious attacks from that side difficult.

Please, correct me if I am wrong in the following:

If the attacker yanks off the power cord, then cold boots off his media,
your defense/erasure of memory does not protect you against this attack.
Right? Your defense only helps if the attacker does clean shutdown. Right?

Thanks.

Valeri

>
> Erich

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Valeri Galtsev
Sr System Administrator
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
University of Chicago
Phone: 773-702-4247
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