Data in Use
- •
def
- •
data that is actively being processed in memory (system RAM, CPU registers and cache)
- •
- •
why it's risky
- •
data in use is almost always decrypted at that point — otherwise nothing could actually be done with it — making it an attractive target for attackers who can pull decrypted information straight out of RAM
- •
- •
example
- •
Target Corp. breach (November 2013) — 110 million credit cards stolen; the retailer had data-in-transit and data-at-rest encryption, but attackers picked the credit card numbers directly out of point-of-sale RAM while they were briefly decrypted for processing
- •
a Formula E racing scandal, where a team sniffed live tire-sensor data being generated by competitors' cars to learn their tactics — the data should have been protected as it was being generated, not just in transit or at rest
- •
- •
- •