Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1751984AbXLIMme (ORCPT ); Sun, 9 Dec 2007 07:42:34 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1751068AbXLIMm1 (ORCPT ); Sun, 9 Dec 2007 07:42:27 -0500 Received: from torres.zugschlus.de ([85.214.68.41]:56382 "EHLO torres.zugschlus.de" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751021AbXLIMm0 (ORCPT ); Sun, 9 Dec 2007 07:42:26 -0500 Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2007 13:42:00 +0100 From: Marc Haber To: Matt Mackall Cc: Eric Dumazet , Alan Cox , Adrian Bunk , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, "David S. Miller" Subject: Re: Why does reading from /dev/urandom deplete entropy so much? Message-ID: <20071209124200.GA31147@torres.zugschlus.de> References: <20071204114125.GA17310@torres.zugschlus.de> <20071204161811.GB15974@stusta.de> <20071204164720.6e4dc2c4@the-village.bc.nu> <475599D6.4030008@cosmosbay.com> <20071205212646.GP17536@waste.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20071205212646.GP17536@waste.org> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.13 (2006-08-11) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 943 Lines: 21 On Wed, Dec 05, 2007 at 03:26:47PM -0600, Matt Mackall wrote: > The distinction between /dev/random and /dev/urandom boils down to one > word: paranoia. If you are not paranoid enough to mistrust your > network, then /dev/random IS NOT FOR YOU. Use /dev/urandom. But currently, people who use /dev/urandom to obtain low-quality entropy do a DoS for the paranoid people. Greetings Marc -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marc Haber | "I don't trust Computers. They | Mailadresse im Header Mannheim, Germany | lose things." Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 621 72739834 Nordisch by Nature | How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 3221 2323190 -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/