MRNG: Accessing Cosmic Radiation as an Entropy Source for a Non-Deterministic Random Number Generator

Abstract

Privacy and security require not only strong algorithms but also reliable and readily available sources of randomness. To tackle this problem, one of the causes of single-event upsets is the utilization of a non-deterministic entropy source, specifically ultra-high energy cosmic rays. An adapted prototype based on existing muon detection technology was used as the methodology during the experiment and tested for its statistical strength. Our results show that the random bit sequence extracted from the detections successfully passed established randomness tests. The detections correspond to cosmic rays recorded using a common smartphone during our experiment. Despite the limited sample, our work provides valuable insights into the use of ultra-high energy cosmic rays as an entropy source.

Keywords

• privacy-enhancing technologies
• entropy source
• wireless and mobile security and privacy
• computer engineering
• cryptography
• cyber security