From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 06:35:15 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 06:35:05 -0400 Received: from krynn.axis.se ([193.13.178.10]:21635 "EHLO krynn.axis.se") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 06:34:48 -0400 Message-ID: <21a701c12963$bcb05b60$0a070d0a@axis.se> From: "Johan Adolfsson" To: "Martin Dalecki" , "Robert Love" Cc: "Oliver Xymoron" , , In-Reply-To: <998193404.653.12.camel@phantasy> <3B80E01B.2C61FF8@evision-ventures.com> Subject: Re: [PATCH] let Net Devices feed Entropy, updated (1/2) Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 12:34:48 +0200 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Martin Dalecki wrote: > I think you are just wrong - nobody really needs this patch. /dev/random > or /dev/urandom ar *both* anyway just complete overkill in terms of > practical security. /dev/urandom is in esp silly, since it is providing > a md5 hash implementation inside the kernel, which could be *compleatly* and > entierly done inside user land. And I think you are wrong, this patch is needed. Keep up the good work Robert! > You mean - there is no known algorithm with polynomial time > behaviour enabling us to calculate the next value of this function > from the previous ones - Not more nor less - no pysics and > entropy involved. If you assume this holds true it's mathematically > entierly sufficient that a single only seed value is not known. Where would you get the single seed from in an embedded head less system if you don't have a hardware random generator, no disk and don't seed it from the network interrupts? I think the patch makes sense - let people have the config option. /Johan