Intel 810 Random Number Generator

[H. Peter Anvin]

Followup to:  <1E7F3E867C2DD3119D7F00A0C9D85863C15410 en excnlle001.wang.nl>
By author:    "van Heusden, Folkert" <Folkertvan.Heusden en getronics.com>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> I think you can "remove" (well, not literally)
> some of the not-so-random data in the inputs
> for the random generator (like the 60Hz of the
> current, processor harmonics, etc.) by first
> sending the random-data trough a compressor.
> bzip2 or gzip or whatsoever. By compressing
> data, you'll remove redundancy from data which
> should remove repeating events like the 60hz
> stuff. See also the thread that spawned on this
> mailinglist on that message I wrote about the
> randomness of the kernel :-)
> 

This is pretty much impossible to analyze for cryptographic soundness,
however.  Better is just to underestimate the enthropy contribution,
and use the existing mixing infrastructure.

(Yet another reason to use the RNG as input to /dev/random rather than
anything else.)

     -hpa
-- 
<hpa en transmeta.com> at work, <hpa en zytor.com> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."

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