4 ms·
Thought I read that the Mersenne Twister has a major vulnerability. It's possible from a small number of samples (<1000) to predict the future values. Hmmm, thi
by DavidPlumpton 13y ago
Thought I read that the Mersenne Twister has a major vulnerability. It's possible from a small number of samples (<1000) to predict the future values. Hmmm, this is the best link I can find http://b10l.com/?p=24 http://b10l.com/?p=24
- SeanLuke 13y agoOf course it has this "vulnerability": 624 of those values are MT's internal random seed. RNGs have two primary functions: to provide statistically random values (for simulations, say) and to provide unpredictable values (mostly for crypto). These are different goals, and many RNGs are good at one but not the other. That's why we have both RNGs and Crypto RNGs. Like many good RNGs for simulation, Mersenne Twister is not, and never has been, a Crypto RNG. It is explicitly in the first category.