[ubuntu-hardened] rngd: enable hardware-supported random generators.

daniel curtis sidetripping at gmail.com
Tue Dec 22 12:46:47 UTC 2015


Hi.

I checked the status of an entropy available on my Ubuntu 12.04
LTS Desktop system to see real value of a random data etc. I've
used a simple 'cat' command:

$ sudo cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail

The result was different every time: it was 346, next time 277. It's
a status with Firefox enabled and a couple of http/s websites.
Entropy is pretty important for a cryptographic functions, right?
Of course not only on this issue.

I would like to ask if I should install, for example, 'rng-tools' [1] a
daemon to use a Hardware TRNG? It seems, that it may also
improve the quality (entropy) of the randomness of /dev/random.

The true reason why I'm asking is the fact that if 'entropy_avail'
returns anything less than 100 - 200 then it is pretty bad.
Honestly, I don't know if it is true, but I read it somewhere.

Best regards.
_____________
[1] http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/vivid/man8/rngd.8.html
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