Random numbers are a critical components of many security systems, however, computer systems are built for predictable behavior and have traditionally not made it easy to obtain random information. Furthermore, problems in random-number-related code are often silent, giving the appearance of correct behavior while actually containing critical flaws. Linux contains a sophisticated system to make randomness available to the kernel and applications, but it has limitations. This talk will examine the applications of random numbers, the Linux random number subsystems, how to correctly write an application that requires random numbers, and how to configure a system to avoid random-number-related security or performance problems.
This talk is targeted at applications developers and systems administrators. General knowledge of Linux system interfaces and services is expected.
