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Lest We Remember: Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys

pucitp · 748.9K views · 2008-02-21 · 5:22

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Overview

A short Princeton CITP video describing cold boot attacks, where encryption keys remain in DRAM after power loss and can be recovered. It covers the attack against disk encryption such as BitLocker, FileVault and TrueCrypt.

On Hacker News

It is linked as the original short demonstration that keys can be pulled from RAM after shutdown.

Recommended by 1 HN people across 1 months · HN mentions 2011–2020

Topics

Security & hackingCryptographyComputer architecture & CPUs
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cold boot attackdisk encryptiondram remanencememory forensicsprinceton

What people said

JoachimSchipper · 2011-06 · Recommendation

Indeed, the encryption keys can be recovered from memory fairly easily. [LINK] is very readable; [VIDEO] is a well-made 5-minute introduction by the authors.

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Buge · 2020-01 · Reference

You're right, I think an attack could be possible on some computers if the agents act very quickly. I don't think 30 minutes would be possible though, judging from what is said and shown in the original cold boot video: [VIDEO]

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wongarsu · 2020-01 · Reference

For getting encryption keys from RAM after shutdown there's this video mentioned by another commentor: [VIDEO] For using reflections, there's this paper implementing reading screen content from various things like reading glasses, a can of coke or even the user's eye (including a discussion of limitations): [LINK] Right now I can't find something on reading keyboard vibrations with lasers, but here's one doing it acoustically and one doing it via acclerometer of a phone on the table: [LINK] [LINK]

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Sources

Video by pucitp, played through YouTube.

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