Re:Turbid: A High-Entropy Random Generator
by RachelF on Saturday September 11, 2021 @09:35PM
(#28497819)
Most Intel and AMD CPUs in the last 8 years have had hardware RNGs that are based on shot noise of a reverse biased Zener diode, which is better than whatever thermal noise/RF this resistive setup is picking up.
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Re:Turbid: A High-Entropy Random Generator
by nullc on Sunday September 12, 2021 @09:07AM
(#28500809)
They have a hardware RNG but it sure isn't based on a reverse biased diode. They claim to be ring oscillator based, though their operation is not independently verifiable.
Their design-- using AES as a whitening postprocessing step-- would make it extremely easy for them to return something like an aes stream based just on a counter and secret key as a result of an almost undetectable attack.
Re:Turbid: A High-Entropy Random Generator
by RachelF on Monday September 13, 2021 @04:04AM
(#28508949)
Good to know, I assumed they'd use the best available:
Re:Turbid: A High-Entropy Random Generator
by nullc on Monday September 13, 2021 @06:35PM
(#28517801)
AFAIK you can't just put a reverse bias diode generator in a processor because it requires a different process and relatively high voltages (as ICs go).
Re:Turbid: A High-Entropy Random Generator
by kurisukun on Monday September 13, 2021 @12:42AM
(#28507926)
In a way, the system does not guarantee there is no kleptographic attack either since the CPU acts like a black-box device
Re:Turbid: A High-Entropy Random Generator
by nullc on Monday September 13, 2021 @12:58AM
(#28508000)
True enough, though the AES DRBG output based HWRNGs would be a great target-- a highly specific nobus or near nobus attack with just a dopant change breaking a single gate... and then the RNG is just some fixed AES stream known to the attacker.