Cold Boot Attack
Security● Common
An attack recovering encryption keys from RAM by exploiting data remanence—memory retains data briefly after power loss, longer when cooled. Attacker quickly reboots or transfers RAM modules to read residual key material.
Technical Notes
RAM retains data: seconds at room temp, minutes when frozen. Attack: power off, cool RAM with compressed air/liquid nitrogen, transplant or boot from USB, dump memory. Mitigations: memory encryption, key scrubbing on shutdown, physical security.
Metadata
Visibility: Public
Created:1/3/2026by System