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Someone please explain why someone would use the hardware random generator directly. Everyone else uses /dev/{u,}random because somehow HRNGs always manage to b
by HarryHirsch 6y ago
Someone please explain why someone would use the hardware random generator directly. Everyone else uses /dev/{u,}random because somehow HRNGs always manage to be buggy, and then there's the concern about NSA involvement. Using OS-provided interface mitigates either concern.
- mjg59 6y agohttps://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/bcac754d66374782a85a8de39fd543c1eaf9fa82/src/basic/random-util.c#L40-L98 https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/bcac754d66374782a85a...
- HarryHirsch 6y agoDude is stubborn in the face of reality. It's not as if there hadn't been RDRAND hardware bugs before.
- zamadatix 6y agoNot sure I understand the /dev/urandom concern in that comment. If this doesn't need to be cryptographically good and you don't want logspam every time a new number is needed why not seed this once with /dev/urandom. Surely a single log message is better than trying to reinvent the wheel, especially since this isn't the first time I've seen this particular code linked on HN due to the assumptions not holding true.