---
title: "Toxic waste that is never actually destroyed"
description: "Contributions are generated on a laptop that is backed up, on a cloud VM whose memory is snapshotted, or in a process whose secret is swapped to disk."
type: "failure-mode"
url: "https://zkpick.com/ceremony/failure-modes/toxic-waste-that-is-never-actually-destroyed/"
section: "04 Running or reusing a trusted setup"
authors:
  - "MarketComp"
publisher: "MarketComp"
version: "1.3"
updated: "2026-09-12"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
json: "https://zkpick.com/data/ceremony/failure-modes/toxic-waste-that-is-never-actually-destroyed.json"
---

*By MarketComp. Updated 2026-09-12. Version 1.3. CC BY 4.0.*

# Toxic waste that is never actually destroyed

Contributions are generated on a laptop that is backed up, on a cloud VM whose memory is snapshotted, or in a process whose secret is swapped to disk. The participant sincerely believes the secret is gone.

**Mitigation:** Provide tooling and written procedure: ephemeral or air-gapped machines, no swap, no backups, secure erase or destruction of the medium. Have participants attest to what they actually did, not to what was recommended.