[147093] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: [Cryptography] Radioactive random numbers
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Eugen Leitl)
Fri Sep 13 11:53:27 2013
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 10:13:49 +0200
From: Eugen Leitl <eugen@leitl.org>
To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
In-Reply-To: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1309120837580.84692@aneurin.horsfall.org>
Errors-To: cryptography-bounces+crypto.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@metzdowd.com
On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 08:47:16AM +1000, Dave Horsfall wrote:
> Another whacky idea...
>
> Given that there is One True Source of randomness to wit radioactive
What makes you think that e.g. breakdown oin a reverse biased
Zener diode is any less "true" random? Or thermal noise in a
crappy CMOS circuit?
In fact, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generator#Physical_phenomena_with_quantum-random_properties
listens a lot of potential sources, some with a higher
rate and more private than others.
> emission, has anyone considered playing with old smoke detectors?
>
> The ionising types are being phased out in favour of optical (at least in
> Australia) so there must be heaps of them lying around.
>
> I know - legislative requirements, HAZMAT etc, but it ought to make for a
> good thought experiment.
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