Direct Memory Access (DMA) protection on Surface devices
Direct Memory Access (DMA) protection is a security feature designed to safeguard Surface devices against unauthorized access via removable SSDs and external storage devices. By blocking unauthorized memory access from peripherals, DMA protection helps prevent cold boot attacks, data exfiltration, and other security risks.
How DMA protection works
DMA protection ensures that only trusted and authorized devices can access system memory. It is particularly effective against attacks where malicious peripherals attempt to gain direct access to sensitive data.
On Surface devices, DMA protection:
- Prevents unauthorized DMA access from external devices connected via Thunderbolt, USB, or PCIe.
- Triggers a shutdown and memory wipe if tampering is detected in the removable SSD.
- Works alongside other security measures like BitLocker, Secure Boot, and Windows Defender System Guard to provide comprehensive protection.
Supported Surface devices
DMA protection is enabled by default on newer Surface for Business devices, including:
- Surface Laptop 7th Edition, Snapdragon processor
- Surface Laptop 7th Edition, Intel processor
- Surface Laptop 6
- Surface Laptop 5
- Surface Laptop 4
- Surface Laptop 3
- Surface Laptop SE
- Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Surface Laptop Studio
- Surface Laptop Go 3
- Surface Pro 11th Edition, Snapdragon processor
- Surface Pro 11th Edition, Intel processor
- Surface Pro 10
- Surface Pro 10 with 5G
- Surface Pro 9
- Surface Pro 9 with 5G
- Surface Pro 8
- Surface Pro 7+
- Surface Pro 7
- Surface Pro X
- Surface Go 4
- Surface Go 3
How to check if DMA protection is enabled
To verify if Kernel DMA protection is enabled on your Surface device:
Method 1: Using System Information (msinfo32)
- Select Start, type
msinfo32.exe
, and press Enter. - In the System Information window, scroll down to find Kernel DMA Protection.
- If the value is Enabled, DMA protection is active on your device.
Method 2: Using PowerShell
For IT admins managing multiple devices, PowerShell can provide quick verification:
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object -Property DeviceGuard*
This command displays details about security policies, including DMA protection.