Volatile memory

Volatile memory, also known as volatile storage, is a computer memory that requires power to maintain the stored information, in other words it needs power to reach the computer memory. Volatile memory retains the information as long as power supply is on, but when power supply is off or interrupted the stored memory is lost; unlike non-volatile memory which does not require a maintained power supply. It has been more popularly known as temporary memory.

As devices have become memory rich, (increased RAM within devices as the price of memory has dropped) with certain tools investigators, or nefarious individuals can copy "Temporary Memory" and make use of this data. This is further compounded as the data is effectively held in plaintext and is easily readable if obtained.

See also

• Memory refresh
• Non-volatile memory
• Cache (computing)
• CPU cache