Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Wed, 20 Dec 2000 13:29:06 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Wed, 20 Dec 2000 13:28:56 -0500 Received: from pcep-jamie.cern.ch ([137.138.38.126]:36873 "EHLO pcep-jamie.cern.ch") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Wed, 20 Dec 2000 13:28:41 -0500 Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 18:58:07 +0100 From: Jamie Lokier To: Bernd Eckenfels Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: /dev/random: really secure? Message-ID: <20001220185807.A22506@pcep-jamie.cern.ch> In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5i In-Reply-To: ; from ecki@lina.inka.de on Wed, Dec 20, 2000 at 04:41:15AM +0100 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Bernd Eckenfels wrote: > In article <20001218213801.A19903@pcep-jamie.cern.ch> you wrote: > > A potential weakness. The entropy estimator can be manipulated by > > feeding data which looks random to the estimator, but which is in fact > > not random at all. > > That's why feeding randomness is a priveledgedoperation. I was referring to randomness influenced externally, e.g. network packet timing, hard disk timing by choice of which http requests, etc. -- Jamie - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/