From owner-svn-doc-all@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Oct 15 08:41:47 2013 Return-Path: Delivered-To: svn-doc-all@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1]) (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 75178D11; Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:41:47 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from pgj@FreeBSD.org) Received: from svn.freebsd.org (svn.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:2068::e6a:0]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 62A6E2D1D; Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:41:47 +0000 (UTC) Received: from svn.freebsd.org ([127.0.1.70]) by svn.freebsd.org (8.14.7/8.14.7) with ESMTP id r9F8flpQ037799; Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:41:47 GMT (envelope-from pgj@svn.freebsd.org) Received: (from pgj@localhost) by svn.freebsd.org (8.14.7/8.14.5/Submit) id r9F8flOM037796; Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:41:47 GMT (envelope-from pgj@svn.freebsd.org) Message-Id: <201310150841.r9F8flOM037796@svn.freebsd.org> From: Gabor Pali Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:41:47 +0000 (UTC) To: doc-committers@freebsd.org, svn-doc-all@freebsd.org, svn-doc-head@freebsd.org Subject: svn commit: r42962 - head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status X-SVN-Group: doc-head MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-BeenThere: svn-doc-all@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "SVN commit messages for the entire doc trees \(except for " user" , " projects" , and " translations" \)" List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:41:47 -0000 Author: pgj Date: Tue Oct 15 08:41:46 2013 New Revision: 42962 URL: http://svnweb.freebsd.org/changeset/doc/42962 Log: - Update the random(4) 2013Q3 entry Submitted by: markm Modified: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2013-07-2013-09.xml Modified: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2013-07-2013-09.xml ============================================================================== --- head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2013-07-2013-09.xml Tue Oct 15 00:37:17 2013 (r42961) +++ head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2013-07-2013-09.xml Tue Oct 15 08:41:46 2013 (r42962) @@ -949,7 +949,7 @@ - Updating <tt>random(4)</tt> + Reworking <tt>random(4)</tt> @@ -978,16 +978,55 @@ -

Update of random(4) to account for recent revelations, - and make more extensible, is in progress.

+

Random numbers require a lot more thought and preparation that + would naively appear to be the case. For simulations, number + sequences that are repeatable but sufficiently disordered are + often what is required to achieve required experimental + duplication ability, and many programmers are familiar with + these. For cryptography, it is essential that an attacker not + be able to predict or guess the output sequence, thus giving a + source of security-critical secret material for uses such as + passwords or "key material".

+ +

&os;'s random number generator, available as the pseudo-file + /dev/random produces unpredictable numbers intended for + cryptographic use, and is thus a Cryptograpically-Secured + Pseudo-Random Number Generator, or CSPRNG. The security is + given by careful design of the output generator (based on a + block cipher) and input entropy accumulation queues. The latter + uses hashes to accumulate stochastic information harvested from + various places in the kernel to provide highly unpredictable + input to the generator. The algorithm for doing this, Yarrow, + by Schneier et al, may be found by web search.

+ +

&os;'s CSPRNG also allowed for certain stochastic sources, + deemed to be "high-quality", to directly supply the + random(4) device without going through Yarrow. With + recent revelations over possible government surveillance and + involvement in the selection of these "high-quality" sources, it + is felt that they can no longer be trusted, and must therefore + also be processed though Yarrow.

+ +

The matter was discussed at various levels of formality at the + Cambridge Developer Summit in August, and at EuroBSDcon 2013 in + September.

+ +

This work is now done, and the random(4) CSPRNG is now + brought to a more paranoid, modern standard of distrust with + regard to its entropy sources. Infrastructure work was also + done to facilitate certain entropy-source choices for the + convenience of the system administrators.

+ +

Future work is now going ahead with the implementation of the + Fortuna algorithm by Ferguson and Schneier as an upgrade or + alternative to Yarrow. Initially a choice will be presented, + and decisions on the future of the CSPRNG processing algorithms + in use will be made in the future as needs arise.

- Fortuna is to be an alternative for Yarrow in FreeBSD 11.x. - Yarrow may be deprecated in a couple of years. - FIPS 800-90b support is planned. - A full, in-depth review of entropy is going to be done with - external help. + Implement FIPS 800-90b support. + A full, in-depth review of entropy.