Re:Pseudo-Random vs. True Random (2012)
by tialaramex on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @01:38AM
(#23841732)
I feel like the question you've suggested people ask themselves is a bit over-complicated. Maybe the right way to phrase the question is instead just:
Can somebody else guess these numbers?
It doesn't actually matter whether bad guys can guess your numbers because you use Python's non-cryptographic PRNG or because you mistakenly overwrote the genuinely random numbers you had with zeroes, or they've planted a physical device inside your computer stealing the random numbers used, it only matters that they can guess the numbers.
Can somebody else guess these numbers?
It doesn't actually matter whether bad guys can guess your numbers because you use Python's non-cryptographic PRNG or because you mistakenly overwrote the genuinely random numbers you had with zeroes, or they've planted a physical device inside your computer stealing the random numbers used, it only matters that they can guess the numbers.