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I used a bootable Linux Mint USB to open a sensitive text file and add sensitive information to it. This text file is encrypted by Veracrypt and was only opened and edited while I was offline.

After editing, I unmounted the Veracrypt volume. This was using the default text editor in Linux. Is there any place a temporary copy of the unencrypted file could be saved on my device?

I want to nuke any possibility of the presence of unencrypted files on the device.

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    It's unlikely. However as there isn't really a concept of a "default text editor", you should state which one you used Commented Apr 20, 2024 at 9:33
  • An editor might create temporary files in /tmp (or where ever the relevant env vars point to). But if you're running live from a bootable device, the syste probably doesn't use any persistent storage for that or anything else you didn't explicitly mount. Commented Apr 20, 2024 at 9:39
  • @ChrisDavies I just opened the txt file and used the default editor. I don't remember and I'd have to boot it back up and can't do that right now as I'm working. Commented Apr 20, 2024 at 10:01
  • @ilkkachu if I understand you correctly a bootable device shouldn't store the temp files? The thing is there is persistent data as I use this for my crypto storage. If I delete the /tmp file will that ensure I'm safe? Commented Apr 20, 2024 at 10:11
  • @userWantsToCode a bootable live system will is not likely to write contents of /tmp to disk, ever, because it doesn't have a disk to mount as /tmp; it's all going to be stored in RAM, so gone latest since you've rebooted. Commented Apr 20, 2024 at 10:14

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Normally Linux Live images work off RAM and don't write anything to the disk, so it's extremely unlikely you could have left any traces.

In the distant past I remember there were some Linux LiveCDs that automatically enabled swap partitions and that could lead to information leakage, but now that you've shut the system down already, there's no way of knowing what your Live distribution might have touched.

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