[entropy_src] measurement of entropy is needed to configure health checks
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Since Mar 28, 2024.
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Description
Description
NIST 800-90B provides guidance how APT & RCT health checks shall be configured depending on required probability of detecting error and measured entropy.
For the approved continuous health tests, the false positive probability $\alpha$ is recommended to be between $2^{−20}$ and $2^{−40}$. Lower probability values are acceptable. The submitter shall specify and document a false positive probability suitable for their application
AIS.31 defines parameters for other tests.
NIST Entropy Assessment toolkit includes set of test, documented in NIST 800-90B to measure entropy for use in configuring health checks appropritately.
In my experience measurements would be in the range ~0.8-0.85 per bit even for very high quality entropy source, or, say DRBG output due to compression test nuances on 1-bit streams (alphabet of entropy source).
So, action items are:
- Measure entropy on different samples, take the minimum value (real tests involves environmental tests at different points in operational range)
- Calculate configuration of health checks
- Make sure that health checks are configured properly before using entropy.
@vogelpi @jadephilipoom
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