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diff --git a/docs/limitations.rst b/docs/limitations.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..5b63ef54 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/limitations.rst @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +Known security limitations +-------------------------- + +Lack of secure memory wiping +============================ + +`Memory wiping`_ is used to protect secret data or key material from attackers +with access to uninitialized memory. This can be either because the attacker +has some kind of local user access or because of how other software uses +uninitialized memory. + +Python exposes no API for us to implement this reliably and as such almost all +software in Python is potentially vulnerable to this attack. However the +`CERT secure coding guidelines`_ consider this issue as "low severity, +unlikely, expensive to repair" and we do not consider this a high risk for most +users. + +.. _`Memory wiping`: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2013/05/29/10421912.aspx +.. _`CERT secure coding guidelines`: https://www.securecoding.cert.org/confluence/display/seccode/MEM03-C.+Clear+sensitive+information+stored+in+reusable+resources |