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Date:      Sun, 5 Aug 2018 19:10:07 -0500 (CDT)
From:      "Valeri Galtsev" <galtsev@kicp.uchicago.edu>
To:        "Erich Dollansky" <freebsd.ed.lists@sumeritec.com>
Cc:        "Valeri Galtsev" <galtsev@kicp.uchicago.edu>, "John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, "thor" <thor@irk.ru>
Subject:   Re: Erase memory on shutdown
Message-ID:  <57043.108.68.162.197.1533514207.squirrel@cosmo.uchicago.edu>
In-Reply-To: <20180806073738.6f459398.freebsd.ed.lists@sumeritec.com>
References:  <20180805150241.1E186200349F8E@ary.qy> <4e70e969-14f7-c65d-96d2-dd1610499cd0@irk.ru> <63033.108.68.162.197.1533484522.squirrel@cosmo.uchicago.edu> <20180806073738.6f459398.freebsd.ed.lists@sumeritec.com>

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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@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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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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