From: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry@piermont.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 1995 03:29:28 +0800
To: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
Subject: Re: Hardware-random-bits interface
In-Reply-To: <accf76ef010210049425@[205.199.118.202]>
Message-ID: <199511151905.OAA08439@jekyll.piermont.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Timothy C. May writes:
> But if you "shield the bejeebers out of it," then all the radio receiver
> generates is whatever signal manages to sneak through--which, ironically,
> would make it _easier_ for an outside attacker to drive--and some amount of
> internal receiver/amplifier noise, such as the Johnson noise talked about
> here. (Every receiver has an "equivalent noise temperature," recall.)
> 
> And if one is left with only internal noise, why not simply use a nice
> clean source like a Zener diode?

Quite solidly agreed. Internal noise beats external noise, and there
is no point in using a radio receiver when what you want is internal
noise.

.pm