Tom Clancy's Random Number Generator..

[jpinson@fcdarwin.org.ec]

There have been some recent discussions on the list about generating
random number using "thermal" noise from diodes and from radio
receivers.

I thought some of you might be interested in this fictional 
depiction of a Random Number Generator from Tom Clancy's book 
"The Sum of all Fears".  The story also touches on the topic of 
distributing OTP's on CD-ROMS, a topic discussed some time back 
on this list.


-------- story by Tom Clancy, typos by me....--------

"Tell me about it. I haven't been briefed in"

"Essential it's our own version of the TAPDANCE. It's a one-time 
pad with transpositions stored on laser-disk CD ROM.  The 
transpositions are generated from atmospheric radio noise, then 
super encrypted with noise from later in the day - atmospheric 
noise is prety random, and by using two separate sets of the 
noise, and using a computer-generated random algorithm to mix the 
two, well, the mathematicians say that's as random as it gets.  
The transpositions are generated by computer and fed onto laser 
disks in realtime.  We use a different disk for everyday of the 
year.  Each disk is unique, two copies only, one to the station, 
one in MERCURY- no backups.  The laser-disk reader we use at both 
ends looks normal, but has a beefed-up laser, and as it reads the 
transposition codes from the disk it also burns them right off 
the plastic.  When the disk is used up, or the day ends- and the 
day will end first, since we're talking billions of characters 
per disk- the disk is destroyed by baking it in a microwave oven.  
That takes two minutes.  It ought to be secure as hell.  It can 
only be compromised at three stages: fist when the disks ar 
manufactured; second, from disk-storage here,: third, from disk 
storage at each station.  Compromise of one station does not 
compromise anyone else. .....

---------- end of quoted material

(ciphers were discussed several times in the book, but I won't
take up bandwidth to reproduce them all)

Jim Pinson              Galapagos