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10.636 memset_explicit

Documentation:

• https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Erasing-Sensitive-Data.html,

Gnulib module: memset_explicit

The memset_explicit function is an approximation to what is needed, and does not suffice in general to erase information. Although calling memset_explicit should clear the memory in question, the information that was in memory may still be available elsewhere on the machine. Proper implementation of information erasure requires support from levels below C code.

Portability problems fixed by Gnulib:

• This function is missing on some platforms: glibc 2.36, FreeBSD 13.1, NetBSD 10.0, OpenBSD 7.2, macOS 13, Solaris 11.4, Android API level 33, and many other systems.

Portability problems not fixed by Gnulib:

• Although the module’s implementation should set the memory on platforms compatible with GCC and on platforms using traditional linkers, it may not set the memory on non-GCC platforms that use whole-program optimization.