1. Network Traffic Randomness for Cryptographic Purposes
Nathaniel Puffer James Madison University CS 627 Dr. Charles Abzug April 30, 2002

2. Purpose
To determine if ICMP Echo Request (PING) RTT can be used as a random seed for One Time Keypads
RFC 1750, Randomness Recommendations for Security

3. Concept The state of the internet is in constant flux
Non repeatable states
“Best Effort” delivery
Unpredictable RTT

4. Gathering Data
1000 interations
Localhost
UVa.
UCLA
RAND()
Radio Noise

5. Raw Data icmp_seq=46 ttl=239 time=85.260 ms
64 bytes from : icmp_seq=54 ttl=239 time= ms
64 bytes from : icmp_seq=55 ttl=239 time= ms
64 bytes from : icmp_seq=56 ttl=239 time= ms
64 bytes from : icmp_seq=57 ttl=239 time= ms

6. Manipulating Data Excel Data Block

7. ENT Entropy Compression Chi Square Arithmetic Mean
Monte Carlo Pi Approximation
Serial Correlation Coefficient

8. Sample ENT Entropy = 7.980627 bits per character.
Optimum compression would reduce the size of this character file by 0 percent.
Chi square distribution for samples is , and randomly would exceed this value 0.01 percent of the times.
Arithmetic mean value of data bytes is (127.5 = random).
Monte Carlo value for Pi is (error 0.90 percent).
Serial correlation coefficient is (totally uncorrelated = 0.0).

9. Chi Square Targets n < 1% not random 5% < n < 1% suspect
almost suspect
90% < n < 10%
random
95% < n < 90%
99% < n < 95%
n > 99%

10. ENT Interpretations Entropy; > 5 bits per character Compression; 0
Arithmetic Mean; .5
Monte Carlo Pi Approximation;
Serial Correlation Coefficient; 0

11. ENT Results Data Set Entropy Compression Chi Square Arithmetic Mean
Monte Carlo
SCC
localhost
0.00%
0.01
0.444 4
UVA
0.4453
UCLA
0.4533
RAND()
0.4441
Random.org

12. Graphical Analysis
Bar chart of each data set to show any possible trends

18. Discussion ENT results inconclusive Graphical Banding
Insufficient data set
Byte structure
Graphical Banding
Further study for correlations in banding

19. Conclusion Security requires affirmative results
ENT results inconclusive
Graphical banding suspicious
PING cannot be used for One Time Keypad seed

20. References
Haahr, Mads. Random.org. Last Visited, April 20, 2002.
Schiller, Crocker, Eastlake. RFC 1750, Randomness Recommendations for Security. Last Visited, April 20, 2002.
Walker, John. Pseudorandom Number Sequence Test Program. Last Visited, April 20, 2002.