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Date:      Tue, 14 Oct 1997 10:01:37 -0600 (MDT)
From:      Wes Peters <softweyr@xmission.com>
To:        Terry Lambert <tlambert@primenet.com>
Cc:        security@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: C2 Trusted FreeBSD?
Message-ID:  <199710141601.KAA10425@obie.softweyr.ml.org>
In-Reply-To: <199710140042.RAA16597@usr07.primenet.com>
References:  <Pine.BSI.3.95.971013171308.24189A-100000@shell.firehouse.net> <199710140042.RAA16597@usr07.primenet.com>

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Terry Lambert writes:
 > > > Basically, we need to purge all memor when it is allocated, or 
 > > > deallocated.
 > >
 > > yah, when we release something back into a system, we have to bzero() the
 > > contents, or something similar.
 > 
 > This is interesting.  Can you give a small sample program for accessing
 > data from another program?  As far as I know, pages are either filled
 > from a swap store (and contain data accessable to you) or zero-filled;
 > I can't think of a way (off the top of my head) to make this not true.

There are no incidences in which pages are returned to you with previous
random cruft left in them?

And besides, zero-filling memory isn't sufficient, it has to be
overwritten a number of times to make sure now residual information can
be obtained.  These standards date back to core and even mercury-wire
memory.  Yes, I've actually worked with computers that feature *both* in
my career.  ;^)

-- 
          "Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"

Wes Peters                                                       Softweyr LLC
http://www.xmission.com/~softweyr                       softweyr@xmission.com



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