How does a DMA attack work on a computer?
Upon connecting to a computer, the device, through its direct and unimpeded access to the physical address space, would be able to bypass almost all security measures of the OS and have the ability to read encryption keys, install malware, or control other system devices.
Are there any programs that can exploit DMA vulnerability?
There is a tool called Inception for this attack, only requiring a machine with an expansion port susceptible to this attack. Another application known to exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to running Windows, Mac OS and Linux computers is the spyware FinFireWire.
Is there a way to disable DMA in Windows 8?
Recent Linux kernels include the option to disable DMA by FireWire devices while allowing other functions. Windows 8.1 can prevent access to DMA ports of an unattended machine if the console is locked.
Is there any way to protect against a DMA attack?
Never allowing sensitive data to be stored in RAM unencrypted is another mitigation venue against DMA attacks. However, protection against reading the RAM’s content is not enough, as writing to RAM via DMA may compromise seemingly secure storage outside of RAM by code injection.
Is it possible to prevent access to DMA ports?
Windows 8.1 can prevent access to DMA ports of an unattended machine if the console is locked. But as of 2019, the major OS vendors had not taken into account the variety of ways that a malicious device could take advantage of complex interactions between multiple emulated peripherals, exposing subtle bugs and vulnerabilities.
Why was direct memory access ( DMA ) invented?
Best known as “Direct Memory Access” (DMA), the technology was created in order to guarantee optimum performance for data transfers between, for example, a system and a hardware device (remember your old videocamera).