9. Entropy Source

Each BSP must provide an implementation of the getentropy() system call. This system call was introduced by OpenBSD and is also available in glibc since version 2.25. This system call is used by the Newlib provided ARC4RANDOM(3) functions, which in turn are used by various cryptographic functions.

Warning

A good entropy source is critical for (nearly) all cryptographic applications. The default implementation based on the CPU counter is not suitable for such applications.

The getentropy() implementation must fill the specified memory region of the given size with random numbers and return 0 on success. A non-zero return may cause the INTERNAL_ERROR_ARC4RANDOM_GETENTROPY_FAIL internal error by one of the ARC4RANDOM(3) functions.

In general, for embedded systems it is not easy to get some real entropy. Normally, that can only be reached with some extra hardware support. Some microcontrollers integrate a true random number generator or something similar for cryptographic applications. That is the preferred source of entropy for most BSPs. For example the atsam BSP uses the TRNG for its entropy source.

There is also a quite limited default implementation based on the CPU counter. Due to the fact that it is a time based source, the values provided by getentropy() are quite predictable. This implementation is not appropriate for any cryptographic applications but it is good enough for some basic tasks. Use it only if you do not have any strong requirements on the entropy and if there is no better source.