Secure virtual memory must be used.

From Apple OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with: CCI-000366

SV-72891r1_rule Secure virtual memory must be used.

Vulnerability discussion

Secure virtual memory must be enabled. Secure virtual memory ensures that data in memory is encrypted when it is swapped to disk. This prevents users and applications from accessing potentially sensitive information, such as user names and passwords, from the swap space on the hard drive.

Check content

To check if the system is using secure virtual memory run the following command: sysctl vm.swapusage If the result does not show '(encrypted)', this is a finding.

Fix text

To ensure secure virtual memory is secure, run the following command: sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.virtualMemory DisableEncryptedSwap -bool FALSE

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