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author | lloyd <[email protected]> | 2014-01-10 23:07:16 +0000 |
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committer | lloyd <[email protected]> | 2014-01-10 23:07:16 +0000 |
commit | ad6555f522ae16f6284e8dafa02f630b88bcf289 (patch) | |
tree | bd63c51dbeab75eb0f90c72589bc922141237056 /doc/manual/rng.rst | |
parent | 6894dca64c04936d07048c0e8cbf7e25858548c3 (diff) |
Split up docs into the reference manual, the website, and everything else.
Add `website` target to makefile.
Some progress towards fixing minimized builds.
TLS now hard requires ECDSA and GCM since otherwise a minimized build
has only insecure options.
Remove boost_thread dependency in command line tool
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/manual/rng.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/rng.rst | 129 |
1 files changed, 129 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/manual/rng.rst b/doc/manual/rng.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..66679271d --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/manual/rng.rst @@ -0,0 +1,129 @@ +.. _random_number_generators: + +Random Number Generators +======================================== + +The random number generators provided in Botan are meant for creating +keys, IVs, padding, nonces, and anything else that requires 'random' +data. It is important to remember that the output of these classes +will vary, even if they are supplied with the same seed (ie, two +``Randpool`` objects with similar initial states will not produce the +same output, because the value of high resolution timers is added to +the state at various points). + +To create a random number generator, instantiate a ``AutoSeeded_RNG`` +object. This object will handle choosing the right algorithms from the +set of enabled ones and doing seeding using OS specific +routines. The main service a RandomNumberGenerator provides is, of +course, random numbers: + +.. cpp:function:: byte RandomNumberGenerator::random() + + Generates a single random byte and returns it + +.. cpp:function:: void RandomNumberGenerator::randomize(byte* data, size_t length) + + Places *length* bytes into the array pointed to by *data* + +To ensure good quality output, a PRNG needs to be seeded with truly +random data. Normally this is done for you. However it may happen that +your application has access to data that is potentially unpredictable +to an attacker. If so, use + +.. cpp:function:: void RandomNumberGenerator::add_entropy(const byte* data, \ + size_t length) + +which incorporates the data into the current randomness state. Don't +worry about filtering the data or doing any kind of cryptographic +preprocessing (such as hashing); the RNG objects in botan are designed +such that you can feed them any arbitrary non-random or even +maliciously chosen data - as long as at some point some of the seed +data was good the output will be secure. + + +Implementation Notes +---------------------------------------- + +Randpool +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +``Randpool`` is the primary PRNG within Botan. In recent versions all +uses of it have been wrapped by an implementation of the X9.31 PRNG +(see below). If for some reason you should have cause to create a PRNG +instead of using the "global" one owned by the library, it would be +wise to consider the same on the grounds of general caution; while +``Randpool`` is designed with known attacks and PRNG weaknesses in +mind, it is not an standard/official PRNG. The remainder of this +section is a (fairly technical, though high-level) description of the +algorithms used in this PRNG. Unless you have a specific interest in +this subject, the rest of this section might prove somewhat +uninteresting. + +``Randpool`` has an internal state called pool, which is 512 bytes +long. This is where entropy is mixed into and extracted from. There is also a +small output buffer (called buffer), which holds the data which has already +been generated but has just not been output yet. + +It is based around a MAC and a block cipher (which are currently +HMAC(SHA-256) and AES-256). Where a specific size is mentioned, it +should be taken as a multiple of the cipher's block size. For example, +if a 256-bit block cipher were used instead of AES, all the sizes +internally would double. Every time some new output is needed, we +compute the MAC of a counter and a high resolution timer. The +resulting MAC is XORed into the output buffer (wrapping as needed), +and the output buffer is then encrypted with AES, producing 16 bytes +of output. + +After 8 blocks (or 128 bytes) have been produced, we mix the pool. To +do this, we first rekey both the MAC and the cipher; the new MAC key +is the MAC of the current pool under the old MAC key, while the new +cipher key is the MAC of the current pool under the just-chosen MAC +key. We then encrypt the entire pool in CBC mode, using the current +(unused) output buffer as the IV. We then generate a new output +buffer, using the mechanism described in the previous paragraph. + +To add randomness to the PRNG, we compute the MAC of the input and XOR +the output into the start of the pool. Then we remix the pool and +produce a new output buffer. The initial MAC operation should make it +very hard for chosen inputs to harm the security of ``Randpool``, and +as HMAC should be able to hold roughly 256 bits of state, it is +unlikely that we are wasting much input entropy (or, if we are, it +doesn't matter, because we have a very abundant supply). + +ANSI X9.31 +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +``ANSI_X931_PRNG`` is the standard issue X9.31 Appendix A.2.4 PRNG, +though using AES-256 instead of 3DES as the block cipher. This PRNG +implementation has been checked against official X9.31 test vectors. + +Internally, the PRNG holds a pointer to another PRNG (typically +Randpool). This internal PRNG generates the key and seed used by the +X9.31 algorithm, as well as the date/time vectors. Each time an X9.31 +PRNG object receives entropy, it passes it along to the PRNG it is +holding, and then pulls out some random bits to generate a new key and +seed. This PRNG considers itself seeded as soon as the internal PRNG +is seeded. + + +Entropy Sources +--------------------------------- + +An ``EntropySource`` is an abstract representation of some method of +gather "real" entropy. This tends to be very system dependent. The +*only* way you should use an ``EntropySource`` is to pass it to a PRNG +that will extract entropy from it -- never use the output directly for +any kind of key or nonce generation! + +``EntropySource`` has a pair of functions for getting entropy from +some external source, called ``fast_poll`` and ``slow_poll``. These +pass a buffer of bytes to be written; the functions then return how +many bytes of entropy were gathered. + +Note for writers of ``EntropySource`` subclasses: it isn't necessary +to use any kind of cryptographic hash on your output. The data +produced by an EntropySource is only used by an application after it +has been hashed by the ``RandomNumberGenerator`` that asked for the +entropy, thus any hashing you do will be wasteful of both CPU cycles +and entropy. + |