Matuszewski Łukasz, Jessa Mieczysław, Nikonowicz Jakub
Faculty of Computing and Telecommunications, Poznań University of Technology, 60-965 Poznań, Poland.
Entropy (Basel). 2024 Dec 28;27(1):15. doi: 10.3390/e27010015.
In this paper, we propose a method to enhance the performance of a random number generator (RNG) that exploits ring oscillators (ROs). Our approach employs additional phase detectors to extract more entropy; thus, RNG uses fewer resources to produce bit sequences that pass all statistical tests proposed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Generating a specified number of bits is on-demand, eliminating the need for continuous RNG operation. This feature enhances the security of the produced sequences, as eavesdroppers are unable to observe the continuous random bit generation process, such as through monitoring power lines. Furthermore, our research demonstrates that the proposed RNG's perfect properties remain unaffected by the manufacturer of the field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) used for implementation. This independence ensures the RNG's reliability and consistency across various FPGA manufacturers. Additionally, we highlight that the tests recommended by the NIST may prove insufficient in assessing the randomness of the output bit streams produced by RO-based RNGs.
在本文中，我们提出了一种提高利用环形振荡器（RO）的随机数发生器（RNG）性能的方法。我们的方法采用额外的鉴相器来提取更多熵；因此，RNG使用更少的资源就能生成通过美国国家标准与技术研究院（NIST）提出的所有统计测试的比特序列。按需生成指定数量的比特，无需RNG持续运行。这一特性增强了所生成序列的安全性，因为窃听者无法观察到连续的随机比特生成过程，比如通过监测电源线。此外，我们的研究表明，所提出的RNG的完美特性不受用于实现的现场可编程门阵列（FPGA）制造商的影响。这种独立性确保了RNG在不同FPGA制造商之间的可靠性和一致性。此外，我们强调，NIST推荐的测试在评估基于RO的RNG产生的输出比特流的随机性时可能并不充分。
