How To Guides Org

Trending – NSA Proof Your Computer Part 3: Clean Paging File On Shutdown

It’s amazing how difficult it is these days to keep a computer clean. Sure you can use TOR and what not, but Windows keeps all sorts of log files and stores decrypted information in your paging file!

If you missed the previous parts:

 

Why The Paging File Is A Security Risk When Dealing With Sensitive Data

The Windows paging file stores a lot of sensible information. For example, every time you access an NTFS encrypted file, Windows needs to decrypt it and then Windows stores some of the data that is currently being accessed in the paging file. Hence, the paging file can be considered a security risk. Let’s imagine you have a high-profile patent on something and you don’t want this patent to fall into the wrong hands, but you have to access it every day to look up details and improve your patent, then you will access the patent and Windows MAY store some sensible information in the paging file. That would make it really easy for the NSA/CIA to perform their job of industrial espionage and steal data they can use to boost their own economy, but of course it’s not just the NSA doing it, there are all sorts of agencies trying to steal lucrative data every day.

Delete Windows Paging File When You Shut Down Your PC

1. Step Open the Windows Registry (hit CTRL + F and search for regedit.exe)

2. Step Uncollapse HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

3. Step Right-click into the white area on the right and select New – DWORD

4. Step Now enter the name ClearPageFileAtShutdown and enter the value 1

5. Step Confirm with OK and reboot

6. Step The next time you shut down your PC the page file will be cleared automatically

7. Step Done

Too difficult for you? Simply download this registry key and double-click it and you’re done!

Resources

EFS – Encrypting File System

Additional Info About Pagefil.sys


Delete Pagefil.sys on Win8

Delete Pagefil.sys on Win7