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Global Accelerated Learning • Est. 1999
Glossary Term Volatile Data

Training Camp • Cybersecurity Glossary

What is Volatile Data?

Volatile data is evidence lost on power off, such as RAM, processes, and network connections, requiring live acquisition first per the order of volatility.

Glossary > Incident Response & Forensics > Volatile Data

Understanding Volatile Data

Volatile data is digital evidence that exists only while a system is powered and is permanently lost when the device is shut down or rebooted. Examples include the contents of RAM, the process list, network connections and routing tables, cached credentials, encryption keys, and clipboard contents. Because of its fragility, volatile data must be captured first during live acquisition following the order of volatility, since it often holds the only trace of fileless malware or in-memory attacks.

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