[Cryptography] Generate Random Data From Sound Card

[Tony Patti]

On Friday, March 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM, David Kane-Parry wrote: 

> Quoting from page 12
of https://www.intel.com/content/dam/develop/external/us/en/documents/441-in
tel-r-drng-software-implementation-guide-final-aug7.pdf :
> "The ES runs asynchronously on a self-timed circuit and uses thermal noise
within the silicon to output a random stream of bits at the rate of 3 GHz."

David, you are quoting the old, outdated, and superseded ("Revision 1.1"
dated August 7, 2012).

The new-and-improved (and longer) "Revision 2.2" document dated September
12, 2025 drops the word "thermal"
(which does NOT appear anywhere in the Revision 2.2 document).
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/content-details/864722/intel-digital
-random-number-generator-software-implementation-guide.html

The second paragraph of Section 3.2.1 which you quote, has been changed to:

"Adopting the model described in NIST SP 800-90B, an entropy source consists
of a noise source followed
by a conditioning function. The Intel hardware noise source runs
asynchronously on a self-timed circuit
and uses transistor noise within the silicon to output a random stream of
bits. The noise source is designed
to function properly over a wide range of operating conditions, exceeding
the normal operating range of the processor."

That aligns with my quote from David Johnston's book: "The entropy source is
based on metastability of a latch with a differential feedback circuit."

Tony Patti
https://cryptosystemsjournal.com/