Re: [PATCH] API for true Random Number Generators to add entropy (2.6.11)

Jeff Garzik
2005-03-25T04:49:32Z

Evgeniy Polyakov wrote:
> On Thu, 2005-03-24 at 15:56 -0500, Jeff Garzik wrote:
>>See the earlier discussion, when data validation was -removed- from the
>>original Intel RNG driver, and moved to userspace.
>
> I'm not arguing against userspace validation, but if data produced
> _is_ cryptographically strong, why revalidate it again?

You cannot prove this without validating the data in software.

Otherwise, you are not handling the hardware-fault case.

It is foolish to presume that hardware always works correctly. It is
-very- foolish to presume this, in cryptography.

> And how HIFN driver can contribute entropy?

Use the current chrdev->rngd method.

> You may say, that hardware can be broken and thus produces
> wrong data, but if user want, it can turn it on or off.

The user cannot know the data is bad unless it is constantly being
validated.

Jeff