Hello. First, this project is really amazing and I’m blown away. Thank you Patrick and contributors for maintaining this!
My technical knowledge and understanding of linux and whonix is limited so I hope this question make sense.
For info on tuning Whonix RAM: https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Tuning#Increase_Virtual_Machine_RAM
Tuning may give way to less important identifiers: https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Protocol-Leak-Protection_and_Fingerprinting-Protection#Less_important_identifiers
From the wiki I have gathered by altering default settings of the Virtual Machine, you may expose yourself to certain identifiers because they will not be consistent with others’ default VM setups.
I am currently using VirtualBox to run my WN Gateway and Workstation. I have already experimented and find that increasing RAM of both Gateway and Workstation within the VM (Settings > System > Motherboard > Base Memory) seem to result in a “snappier” and faster feel overall. However, even at 768MB of RAM (default) I am able to run many software processes at once and have had no issues with speed.
Are there any disadvantages to increasing my RAM other than possibly exposing myself to less important identifiers?
-For example, does increasing my RAM leave a bigger footprint in my host OS or internal/external devices after shutting down or is it all contained within the VM?
-Would an adversary with physical access have a longer window and potentially more data to work with?
-If it were possible to run a panic or kill switch to wipe the RAM would it take longer to wipe/obscure?
Or can we apply these questions to how much RAM my CPU has. For example, CPU contains 2GB vs 4GB vs 8GB RAM independent of VM allocation. Will more RAM grant more opportunity for an adversary?
I’m trying to better understand Cold Boot or Evil Maid Attacks outlined: https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Advanced_Security_Guide#Cold_Boot_Attacks