Package: rng-tools5 (5-4.1)

Daemon to use a Hardware TRNG

The rngd daemon acts as a bridge between a Hardware TRNG (true random number generator) such as the ones in some Intel/AMD/VIA chipsets, and the kernel's PRNG (pseudo-random number generator).

It tests the data received from the TRNG using the FIPS 140-2 (2002-10-10) tests to verify that it is indeed random, and feeds the random data to the kernel entropy pool.

This increases the bandwidth of the /dev/random device, from a source that does not depend on outside activity. This may improve the behavior of systems which experience low values in /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail It may also improve the quality (entropy) of the randomness of /dev/random.

A TRNG kernel module such as hw_random, or some other source of true entropy that is accessible as a device or fifo, is required to use this package. It will take advantage of the RDRAND and RDSEED instructions included in some Intel & AMD CPUs.

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