True Random Number Generators in FPGAs

Abstract

The issue of random number generation is crucial for the implementa- tion of cryptographic systems in FPGAs. Random numbers are often used in key generation processes, authentication protocols, zeroknowledge protocols, padding, in many digital signature schemes, and even in some encryption algorithms. For these applications, security depends to a great extent on the quality of the source of randomness. The quality of the generated numbers is checked by statistical tests. In addition to the good statistical properties of the obtained numbers, the output of the generator used in cryptography must be unpredictable. For this reason, pseudo- random generators that are easily implementable in digital logic devices, including FPGAs, are not suitable for many cryptographic applications. In this chapter, we present the state-of-the-art of true random number generators in (reconfigurable) logic devices.We evaluate sources of randomness and the general principles used to extract and process randomness in FPGAs. 5.1