NAME

Crypt::Random - Cryptographically Secure, True Random Number Generator.

SYNOPSIS

use Crypt::Random qw( makerandom ); 
my $r = makerandom ( Size => 512, Strength => 1 ); 

DESCRIPTION

Crypt::Random is an interface module to the /dev/random and /dev/urandom device found on most modern unix systems. It also interfaces with egd, a user space entropy gathering daemon, available for systems where /dev/random (or similar) devices are not available. When Math::Pari is installed, Crypt::Random can generate random integers of arbitrary size of a given bitsize or in a specified interval.

ALTERNATIVES

Crypt::Random has numerous options for obtaining randomness. If you would prefer a simpler module that provides cryptographic grade randomness Crypt::URandom should be considered.

The CPANSec group has developed the CPAN Author's Guide to Random Data for Security that should be reviewed before dealing with randomness.

BLOCKING BEHAVIOUR

Since kernel version 5.6 in 2020, /dev/random is no longer blocking and there is effectively no difference between /dev/random and /dev/urandom. Indeed there has been no difference in the quality of randomness from either in many years. /dev/random now only blocks on startup of the system and only for a very short time.

HARDWARE RNG

If there's a hardware random number generator available, for instance the Intel i8x0 random number generator, you can use it instead of /dev/random or /dev/urandom. Usually your OS will provide access to the RNG as a device, eg (/dev/intel_rng).

METHODS

makerandom()

Generates a random number of requested bitsize in base 10. Following arguments can be specified.

Size

Bitsize of the random number.

Provider

Specifies the name of the Provider to be used. Specifying a Provider overrides Strength.

Options are:

devrandom

Uses /dev/random to generate randomness.

devurandom

Uses /dev/urandom to generate randomness.

Win32API

Uses the Windows API SystemFunction036 (RtlGenRandom) to generate randomness on Windows Operating Systems.

egd (INSECURE)

An Entropy Gathering Daemon (egd) daemon is read to obtain randomness. As egd has not been updated since 2002 it has been moved to the low strength provider list.

rand

Generates randomness based on Perl's Crypt::URandom urandom function.

Strength 0 || 1

Value of 1 implies that /dev/random or /dev/urandom should be used for requesting random bits while 0 implies insecure including rand.

As of release 1.55 Strength defaults to 1 (/dev/random or /dev/urandom or rand (using Crypt::URandom::urandom))

Device

Alternate device to request random bits from.

Uniform 0 || 1

Value of 0 (default) implies that the high bit of the generated random number is always set, ensuring the bitsize of the generated random will be exactly Size bits. For uniformly distributed random numbers, Uniform should be set to 1.

makerandom_itv()

Generates a random number in the specified interval. In addition to the arguments to makerandom() following attributes can be specified.

Lower

Inclusive Lower limit.

Upper

Exclusive Upper limit.

makerandom_octet()

Generates a random octet string of specified length. In addition to Strength, Device and Verbosity, following arguments can be specified.

Length

Length of the desired octet string.

Skip

An octet string consisting of characters to be skipped while reading from the random device.

DEPENDENCIES

Crypt::Random needs Math::Pari 2.001802 or higher.

SEE ALSO

Crypt::URandom should be considered as simpler module for obtaining cryptographically secure source of Randomness.

The CPANSec group has developed the CPAN Author's Guide to Random Data for Security that should be reviewed before dealing with randomness.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 random.c by Theodore Ts'o. Found in drivers/char directory of the Linux kernel sources.

2 Handbook of Applied Cryptography by Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot and Scott Vanstone.

LICENSE

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.

AUTHOR

Vipul Ved Prakash, <mail@vipul.net>