Serious Cryptography

2RANDOMNESS

Randomness is found everywhere in cryptography: in the generation of secret keys, in encryption schemes, and even in the attacks on cryptosystems. Without randomness, cryptography would be impossible because all operations would become predictable, and therefore insecure.

This chapter introduces you to the concept of randomness in the context of cryptography and its applications. We discuss pseudorandom number generators and how operating systems can produce reliable randomness, and we conclude with real examples showing how flawed randomness can impact security.

Random or Non-Random?

You’ve probably already heard the phrase “random ...