AWS AWSEC2 documentation change
Summary
Updated scrubbing workflow time estimates for Mac instances, increasing Apple silicon completion time from 110 minutes to 4.5 hours and clarifying x86 firmware update timing
Security assessment
This change updates time estimates for the scrubbing workflow that erases SSDs, clears NVRAM, and updates firmware when stopping/terminating Mac instances. While this describes a security feature (data sanitization), there's no evidence of a specific security vulnerability being addressed - it's just updated timing information.
Diff
diff --git a/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/mac-instance-stop.md b/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/mac-instance-stop.md index 680b30429..77aa2be70 100644 --- a//AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/mac-instance-stop.md +++ b//AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/mac-instance-stop.md @@ -11 +11 @@ When you stop a Mac instance, the instance remains in the `stopping` state for a -When you stop or terminate a Mac instance, Amazon EC2 performs a scrubbing workflow on the underlying Dedicated Host to erase the internal SSD, to clear the persistent NVRAM variables, and to update to the latest device firmware. This ensures that Mac instances provide the same security and data privacy as other EC2 Nitro instances. It also allows you to run the latest macOS AMIs. During the scrubbing workflow, the Dedicated Host temporarily enters the pending state. On x86 Mac instances, the scrubbing workflow might take up to 50 minutes to complete. On Apple silicon Mac instances, the scrubbing workflow might take up to 110 minutes to complete. Additionally, on x86 Mac instances, if the device firmware needs to be updated, the scrubbing workflow might take up to 3 hours to complete. +When you stop or terminate a Mac instance, Amazon EC2 performs a scrubbing workflow on the underlying Dedicated Host to erase the internal SSD, to clear the persistent NVRAM variables, and to update to the latest device firmware. This ensures that Mac instances provide the same security and data privacy as other EC2 Nitro instances. It also allows you to run the latest macOS AMIs. During the scrubbing workflow, the Dedicated Host temporarily enters the pending state. On x86 Mac instances, the scrubbing workflow might take up to 50 minutes to complete. If Amazon EC2 needs to update the device firmware, the workflow might take up to 3 hours to complete. On Apple silicon Mac instances, the scrubbing workflow might take up to 4.5 hours to complete.