Computer security Question: Download Questions PDF
Can my page file hold sensitive data?
Answer:
It can. Memory pages are swapped or paged to disk when an application needs physical memory. Even though the page file (see Control Panel->System->Performance->Virtual Memory) is not accessible while the system is running, it can be accessed by, for example, booting another OS.
There is a registry key that can be created so that the memory manager clears the page file when the system goes down:
HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemoryManagementClearPageFileAtShutdown: 1
Note that the clearing of the page file only is done when the system is brought down in a controlled fashion. If the machine is just switched off or brought down in any other brute way, of course no clearing will be performed.
There is a registry key that can be created so that the memory manager clears the page file when the system goes down:
HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemoryManagementClearPageFileAtShutdown: 1
Note that the clearing of the page file only is done when the system is brought down in a controlled fashion. If the machine is just switched off or brought down in any other brute way, of course no clearing will be performed.
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