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I am already using the 2 they suggest :

https://github.com/usnistgov/SP800-90B_EntropyAssessment https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-90B.pdf

but, here is where I run into issues, I have a a file with 1,000,000 bits, what's the right format for the input? they don't state that, should it be a python tuple, or a list, or a just 1s and 0s continuously.

I ran the iid test, and got a score for H_original, but there are no guidelines that I can understand that state exactly how good or bad that is.

I have worked with Dieharder before and it was much clearer, they had a list of tests and gave a clear indication of whether you passed or failed the tests.

Help me out here, trying to test how random a bunch of 1s and 0s are.

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  • $\begingroup$ CAUTION: Dieharder, SP800-90B_EntropyAssessment etc.. can demonstrate beyond doubt that a sequence of bits is not uniformly random. But they are essentially useless to assess that a sequence of bits is suitable for cryptographic use, unless these bits are from a source of well-defined nature and NOT post-conditioned cryptographically. Many publications on cryptography nevertheless use results of such tests on the output of a cryptographic construction as an argument for the security of that construction. Such a deep flaw often causes rejection by serious publications on cryptography. $\endgroup$
    – fgrieu ♦
    Sep 28, 2022 at 9:20
  • $\begingroup$ @fgrieu Itsy bitsy thing though. 90B is not a randomness test. It's a min.entropy measurement. So there's no pass or fail. ANY sequence of bits of ANY distribution is acceptable to those tests. It just spits out a Min. entropy value. (Which is naff for the ea_non_iid test.) $\endgroup$
    – Paul Uszak
    Sep 28, 2022 at 12:50
  • $\begingroup$ @fgrieu what do you recommend I look into to actually assess the quality of randomness? If those tests are good enough, what should I be looking into? also, where can I read more about "post-conditioned cryptography", I don't know what that is. $\endgroup$
    – Vardhan Mahajan
    Sep 28, 2022 at 16:52
  • $\begingroup$ To actually assess that randomness is of crypto quality, there is no substitute to analyzing how it is generated. Again, no automated tool applied to the generated randomness can do this; they can only detect some of the worst kinds of cryptographic weaknesses. It is easy to make a simple PRNG that passes all tests, yet is insecure. For post-conditioning, see SP800-90A. For context about use, see this. $\endgroup$
    – fgrieu ♦
    Sep 28, 2022 at 17:34

1 Answer 1

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It's not too difficult:-

  • Format has to be a pure binary file. No Python nothin'.
  • Any other formats will produce a valid $H_{\infty}$ estimate, but will have been treated as pure binary. So e.g. 32 bit ASCII integers followed by a carriage return will be interpreted in the strictest binary sense, symbol by symbol.
  • Expect $H_{\infty} \approx$ 7.9 bits/byte to use the samples directly for encryption.
  • The samples must have 256 unique symbols in order to use them directly for encryption.
  • $H_{\infty}$ and the number of unique symbols can be anything if you're going to use a downstream randomness extractor.
  • Add the -v argument for something to watch while you wait (and show the tests).
  • Failed tests have a star next to them.
  • Be mindful of fgrieu's comment to you.

Good luck.

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  • $\begingroup$ okay, this is what I understood 1. It should preferably be a binary file. 2. 7,9 out of 8 is an excellent score 3. I need the generator to generate 256 unique symbols 4. I will use -v and keep fgrieu's comment in mind. How do you know all this? Is there some guide I could follow that will guide me through running this. I am quite new to this space as you might have guessed from the question. $\endgroup$
    – Vardhan Mahajan
    Sep 28, 2022 at 16:47
  • $\begingroup$ @VardhanMahajan Well the documents you've mentioned are about it. $\endgroup$
    – Paul Uszak
    Sep 28, 2022 at 21:02
  • $\begingroup$ Further to that you're relying on experience :-) Although please don't overthink 90B. It's just measuring a specific quantity. You'll understand when running with the -v option. There are real world examples here illustrating how 90B fits into a design. $\endgroup$
    – Paul Uszak
    Sep 28, 2022 at 21:10

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