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What does “seed†mean in cryptography?
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I have come across "seed" many times, and at each time, it confuses me more and more. I think it has a well-known meaning in cryptography, so what is it?
They can usually use the limited number of results stemming from a
limited number of seed values to defeat security.
Not only does complex manipulation not help you if you have a limited
range of seeds, but blindly-chosen complex manipulation can destroy
the entropy in a good seed!
Those are some parts of an article I was reading, I understand the context, but I'm not sure about "seed".
pseudo-random-generator terminology
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
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up vote
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down vote
favorite
I have come across "seed" many times, and at each time, it confuses me more and more. I think it has a well-known meaning in cryptography, so what is it?
They can usually use the limited number of results stemming from a
limited number of seed values to defeat security.
Not only does complex manipulation not help you if you have a limited
range of seeds, but blindly-chosen complex manipulation can destroy
the entropy in a good seed!
Those are some parts of an article I was reading, I understand the context, but I'm not sure about "seed".
pseudo-random-generator terminology
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I have come across "seed" many times, and at each time, it confuses me more and more. I think it has a well-known meaning in cryptography, so what is it?
They can usually use the limited number of results stemming from a
limited number of seed values to defeat security.
Not only does complex manipulation not help you if you have a limited
range of seeds, but blindly-chosen complex manipulation can destroy
the entropy in a good seed!
Those are some parts of an article I was reading, I understand the context, but I'm not sure about "seed".
pseudo-random-generator terminology
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I have come across "seed" many times, and at each time, it confuses me more and more. I think it has a well-known meaning in cryptography, so what is it?
They can usually use the limited number of results stemming from a
limited number of seed values to defeat security.
Not only does complex manipulation not help you if you have a limited
range of seeds, but blindly-chosen complex manipulation can destroy
the entropy in a good seed!
Those are some parts of an article I was reading, I understand the context, but I'm not sure about "seed".
pseudo-random-generator terminology
pseudo-random-generator terminology
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
asked 1 hour ago
Tasneem Zh
63
63
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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1 Answer
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The seed of a pseudorandom number generator — whether cryptographically secure of not — is the initial input that defines the pseudorandom sequence of outputs generated from it.
It's not really a term that's specific to cryptography, except insofar as there's a considerable amount of overlap between pseudorandom number generation and cryptography, which might be why you haven't been able to find a good definition of it in crypto literature.
That said, such definitions do exist. For example, NIST SP 800-90A rev. 1 provides the following, admittedly perhaps not the most easily digestible one:
Seed
Noun : A string of bits that is used as input to a DRBG mechanism. The seed will determine a portion of the internal state of the DRBG, and its entropy must be sufficient to support the security strength of the DRBG.
Verb : To acquire bits with sufficient entropy for the desired security strength. These bits will be used as input to a DRBG mechanism to determine a portion of the initial internal state.
Also see reseed.
(Note: "DRBG" stands for "Deterministic Random Bit Generator", which is essentially the NIST term for a pseudorandom number generator.)
SP 800-90A also includes a more detailed description of seeds in section 8.6 (appropriately titled "Seeds"), which I would strongly recommend taking a look at if you're interested in PRNG seeding in a cryptographic context. It may, however, be a good idea to start reading a few pages up from section 7 ("Functional Model of a DRBG") to familiarize yourself with the concepts and terminology first.
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
The seed of a pseudorandom number generator — whether cryptographically secure of not — is the initial input that defines the pseudorandom sequence of outputs generated from it.
It's not really a term that's specific to cryptography, except insofar as there's a considerable amount of overlap between pseudorandom number generation and cryptography, which might be why you haven't been able to find a good definition of it in crypto literature.
That said, such definitions do exist. For example, NIST SP 800-90A rev. 1 provides the following, admittedly perhaps not the most easily digestible one:
Seed
Noun : A string of bits that is used as input to a DRBG mechanism. The seed will determine a portion of the internal state of the DRBG, and its entropy must be sufficient to support the security strength of the DRBG.
Verb : To acquire bits with sufficient entropy for the desired security strength. These bits will be used as input to a DRBG mechanism to determine a portion of the initial internal state.
Also see reseed.
(Note: "DRBG" stands for "Deterministic Random Bit Generator", which is essentially the NIST term for a pseudorandom number generator.)
SP 800-90A also includes a more detailed description of seeds in section 8.6 (appropriately titled "Seeds"), which I would strongly recommend taking a look at if you're interested in PRNG seeding in a cryptographic context. It may, however, be a good idea to start reading a few pages up from section 7 ("Functional Model of a DRBG") to familiarize yourself with the concepts and terminology first.
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
The seed of a pseudorandom number generator — whether cryptographically secure of not — is the initial input that defines the pseudorandom sequence of outputs generated from it.
It's not really a term that's specific to cryptography, except insofar as there's a considerable amount of overlap between pseudorandom number generation and cryptography, which might be why you haven't been able to find a good definition of it in crypto literature.
That said, such definitions do exist. For example, NIST SP 800-90A rev. 1 provides the following, admittedly perhaps not the most easily digestible one:
Seed
Noun : A string of bits that is used as input to a DRBG mechanism. The seed will determine a portion of the internal state of the DRBG, and its entropy must be sufficient to support the security strength of the DRBG.
Verb : To acquire bits with sufficient entropy for the desired security strength. These bits will be used as input to a DRBG mechanism to determine a portion of the initial internal state.
Also see reseed.
(Note: "DRBG" stands for "Deterministic Random Bit Generator", which is essentially the NIST term for a pseudorandom number generator.)
SP 800-90A also includes a more detailed description of seeds in section 8.6 (appropriately titled "Seeds"), which I would strongly recommend taking a look at if you're interested in PRNG seeding in a cryptographic context. It may, however, be a good idea to start reading a few pages up from section 7 ("Functional Model of a DRBG") to familiarize yourself with the concepts and terminology first.
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
The seed of a pseudorandom number generator — whether cryptographically secure of not — is the initial input that defines the pseudorandom sequence of outputs generated from it.
It's not really a term that's specific to cryptography, except insofar as there's a considerable amount of overlap between pseudorandom number generation and cryptography, which might be why you haven't been able to find a good definition of it in crypto literature.
That said, such definitions do exist. For example, NIST SP 800-90A rev. 1 provides the following, admittedly perhaps not the most easily digestible one:
Seed
Noun : A string of bits that is used as input to a DRBG mechanism. The seed will determine a portion of the internal state of the DRBG, and its entropy must be sufficient to support the security strength of the DRBG.
Verb : To acquire bits with sufficient entropy for the desired security strength. These bits will be used as input to a DRBG mechanism to determine a portion of the initial internal state.
Also see reseed.
(Note: "DRBG" stands for "Deterministic Random Bit Generator", which is essentially the NIST term for a pseudorandom number generator.)
SP 800-90A also includes a more detailed description of seeds in section 8.6 (appropriately titled "Seeds"), which I would strongly recommend taking a look at if you're interested in PRNG seeding in a cryptographic context. It may, however, be a good idea to start reading a few pages up from section 7 ("Functional Model of a DRBG") to familiarize yourself with the concepts and terminology first.
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
The seed of a pseudorandom number generator — whether cryptographically secure of not — is the initial input that defines the pseudorandom sequence of outputs generated from it.
It's not really a term that's specific to cryptography, except insofar as there's a considerable amount of overlap between pseudorandom number generation and cryptography, which might be why you haven't been able to find a good definition of it in crypto literature.
That said, such definitions do exist. For example, NIST SP 800-90A rev. 1 provides the following, admittedly perhaps not the most easily digestible one:
Seed
Noun : A string of bits that is used as input to a DRBG mechanism. The seed will determine a portion of the internal state of the DRBG, and its entropy must be sufficient to support the security strength of the DRBG.
Verb : To acquire bits with sufficient entropy for the desired security strength. These bits will be used as input to a DRBG mechanism to determine a portion of the initial internal state.
Also see reseed.
(Note: "DRBG" stands for "Deterministic Random Bit Generator", which is essentially the NIST term for a pseudorandom number generator.)
SP 800-90A also includes a more detailed description of seeds in section 8.6 (appropriately titled "Seeds"), which I would strongly recommend taking a look at if you're interested in PRNG seeding in a cryptographic context. It may, however, be a good idea to start reading a few pages up from section 7 ("Functional Model of a DRBG") to familiarize yourself with the concepts and terminology first.
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
edited 1 hour ago
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
answered 1 hour ago
Ilmari Karonen
32.7k262130
32.7k262130
add a comment |Â
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Tasneem Zh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Tasneem Zh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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