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Date:      Mon, 19 Jun 2000 12:45:46 -0400
From:      Dan Moschuk <dan@FreeBSD.ORG>
To:        Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@critter.freebsd.dk>
Cc:        Dag-Erling Smorgrav <des@flood.ping.uio.no>, Dan Moschuk <dan@FreeBSD.ORG>, "Jeroen C. van Gelderen" <jeroen@vangelderen.org>, Mark Murray <mark@grondar.za>, arch@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: (2nd iteration) New /dev/(random|null|zero) - review, please
Message-ID:  <20000619124546.A2268@spirit.jaded.net>
In-Reply-To: <44778.961423462@critter.freebsd.dk>; from phk@critter.freebsd.dk on Mon, Jun 19, 2000 at 04:04:22PM %2B0200
References:  <xzpsnu9u5yz.fsf@flood.ping.uio.no> <44778.961423462@critter.freebsd.dk>

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| >Hmm, yes, that wasn't quite what I meant. I was actually thinking
| >about purpose-made RNGs vs. custom-made (e.g. lava lamp + webcam), the
| >idea being that with the latter, a) you know it doesn't contain an
| >intentional steganographic fingerprint and b) you have complete
| >control over the RNG and can vary its output in unpredictable ways
| >(moving the camera, changing the background...) which hopefully defeat
| >recognition without affecting randomness.
| 
| Run your Intel built RNG through a cryptographic quality hash ?
| 
| If you frustrate the output by running it though MD5 and feed a few
| random bits from your keyboard interrupt in there as well ?
| 
| I wouldn't worry.

Not to worry.  The i82802 isn't meant to replace our current random number
generator, but rather as a source of entropy for The Bigger Picture (Yarrow).

We will still harvest entropy from various interrupts and other system
sources.

Which brings up another interesting point.  Mark, I believe there are still
some architectual issues with the Yarrow design.  Can you comment on this
status?

-- 
Dan Moschuk (TFreak!dan@freebsd.org)
"Don't get even -- get odd!"


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