Intellectual Property Law

Ed Felten Causing UnrestFurdLog

Just keeping folks on their toes! Researchers Find Way to Steal Encrypted Data

The move, which cannot be carried out remotely, exploits a little-known vulnerability of the dynamic random access, or DRAM, chip. Those chips temporarily hold data, including the keys to modern data-scrambling algorithms. When the computer?s electrical power is shut off, the data, including the keys, is supposed to disappear.

In a technical paper that was published Thursday on the Web site of Princeton?s Center for Information Technology Policy, the group demonstrated that standard memory chips actually retain their data for seconds or even minutes after power is cut off.

When the chips were chilled using an inexpensive can of air, the data was frozen in place, permitting the researchers to easily read the keys ? long strings of ones and zeros ? out of the chip?s memory.

Full post as published by IP Law Daily on February 22, 2008 (boomark / email).