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IETF RFC 4086
[ACTIVE]

Randomness Requirements for Security

Metadata

Publisher
IETF
Doc Type
Best Practice
Pages
48
Abstract
Security systems are built on strong cryptographic algorithms that foil pattern analysis attempts. However, the security of these systems is dependent on generating secret quantities for passwords, cryptographic keys, and similar quantities. The use of pseudo-random processes to generate secret quantities can result in pseudo-security. A sophisticated attacker may find it easier to reproduce the environment that produced the secret quantities and to search the resulting small set of possibilities than to locate the quantities in the whole of the potential number space. Choosing random quantities to foil a resourceful and motivated adversary is surprisingly difficult. This document points out many pitfalls in using poor entropy sources or traditional pseudo-random number generation techniques for generating such quantities. It recommends the use of truly random hardware techniques and shows that the existing hardware on many systems can be used for this purpose. It provides suggestions to ameliorate the problem when a hardware solution is not available, and it gives examples of how large such quantities need to be for some applications. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.
Publication Date
2005-06-01
Status Note
Best Current Practice
DOI
10.17487/RFC4086
Link
https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC4086
Author(s)
Donald E. Eastlake 3rd
Jeffrey I. Schiller
Steve Crocker
Keyword(s)
Cryptographic Algorithms, Passwords, Cryptographic Keys, Pseudo-random, Random Numbers, SEED
Latest version of IETF RFC 4086

Document Versions — IETF RFC 4086

  • ▶ IETF RFC 4086 (2005-06-01)
    THIS DOC [ACTIVE] [LATEST VERSION]

Bibliographic Reference(s)

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  • IETF RFC 977 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 1320 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 1321 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 1421 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 1422 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 1423 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 1424 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 1750 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 1948 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 2104 [Active, Amended*]
  • IETF RFC 2246 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 2401 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 2440 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 2631 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 2632 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 2633 [Superseded*]
  • IETF RFC 2634 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 2980 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 3156 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 3174 [Active, Amended*]
  • IETF RFC 3766 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 4033 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 4034 [Active*]
  • IETF RFC 4035 [Active*]
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