"Why does ntpkeygen pass a low entropy ignored seed into SystemRandom?""

[Gary E. Miller]

Yo Mark!

On Wed, 04 Jan 2017 03:53:02 +0000
Mark Atwood <fallenpegasus at gmail.com> wrote:

> "Why does ntpkeygen pass a low entropy ignored seed into
> SystemRandom?

Its a start.  I guess I could grab something from /dev/random to
add to the mix.

> It's ignored, so it doesn't matter, but it's the type
> of error which concerns me."

I'm reading the man page, it is NOT ignored, just not ideal.

    https://docs.python.org/2/library/random.html

This relates to a frequently reocurring discussion on LKM. The Linux
kernel uses a number of low entropy sources to make /dev/random.
The feeling is that adding any small amount entropy can not hurt and
might help. Entropy tends to be additive.

More worrying to me is that it is a wrapper on os.urandom(), not os.random()

Lemme see if I can sex it up a bit.

RGDS                                                 Veritas liberabit vos
GARY                                                     Quid est veritas?
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Gary E. Miller Rellim 109 NW Wilmington Ave., Suite E, Bend, OR 97703
gem at rellim.com  Tel:+1 541 382 8588
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