Messages in this thread | | | Date | Sat, 9 Aug 2003 22:14:18 -0500 | From | Matt Mackall <> | Subject | Re: [RFC][PATCH] Make cryptoapi non-optional? |
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On Sat, Aug 09, 2003 at 07:07:27PM -0700, Robert Love wrote: > On Sat, 2003-08-09 at 07:33, Matt Mackall wrote: > > > - the random number generator is non-optional because it's used > > various things from filesystems to networking > > What if you kept crypto API optional, made random.c a config option, and > make that depend on the crypto API. Then -- and this is the non-obvious > part -- implement a super lame replacement for get_random_bytes() [what > I assume the various parts of the kernel are using] for when > !CONFIG_RANDOM is not set? > > You can do a simple PRNG in <10 lines of C. Have the kernel seed it on > boot with xtime or something else lame.
Eek, let's not go there. Most of the users of get_random_bytes() depend on it being strong enough for cryptographic purposes. And we've long guaranteed the existence of a cryptographically strong /dev/urandom. If userspace could no longer rely on it being there, people would be forced to go back to poorly reinventing it in userspace - not good. Having random.c be nonoptional is a good note to embedded folks that they should think long and hard before ripping it out.
-- Matt Mackall : http://www.selenic.com : of or relating to the moon - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
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