Tech companies are continually looking for new ways to randomize data. Lava lamps were once used as a way to do this, given how the principle of density changes under different temperatures. Interestingly, some companies are now using wave machines to randomize their data, with Cloudflare using them for SSL encryption.
Randomized Data’s Role in Modern Society
Randomized data has a huge role to play in modern society. Random number generators are used in cryptocurrency, with key generation, for example, as they ensure unpredictability and security. RNGs are also used in procedural generation, which is a big part of gaming, specifically in terrain generation for games.
Random seeds can also be used to create starting points in worlds. Civilization, for example, uses an RNG to determine when natural disasters occur in-game. Even in iGaming, slots use random number generators to determine the result of a reel spin, to ensure fairness. Random number generators are also used to determine when jackpots drop, with advanced technology like this helping new game variants to hit the market, including Megaways games and bonus rounds.
Even though RNGs are used in everything, from cryptocurrency to gaming, companies are still trying to find more complex ways to randomize data, especially in sectors like SSL encryption, where the SSL is only as secure as its randomness.
The Innovative Use of Wave Machines
In an attempt to find new ways to randomize data for SSL encryption, wave machines are being used. In theory, a pseudorandom number generator can generate unlimited random outputs, but at the same time, the algorithm needs new inputs of randomness. That’s where wave machines come in. Cloudflare is now using metallic materials to reflect the motion of wave machines. This, in combination with shadow, light, and movement, adds to entropy. Some companies have also explored the idea of utilising mouse movements and other creative ways to generate new and random data for software to work from. Apple, for example, uses its Secure Enclave, which is a hardware coprocessor present in every Apple device. This handles operations including encryption keys and authentication. This has its own hardware-based random number generator that is used for all cryptographic operations.
Apple uses multiple entropy sources, including timing-based jitter collected during the boot phase and from seed files. This not only helps to make the device more secure, but it also allows the hardware to be isolated, meaning it is much more difficult for it to be tampered with at a later date. It’s not just Apple who are finding new ways to create RNG, either.
Some companies have gone as far as to use true random number generators that use beta radiation, something that has been explored in IOT applications in the past. This again shows how innovative companies are when it comes to ensuring the safety of things, but also to make sure that more is done to find new ways to generate truly random numbers. As time goes on, we are bound to see more complex creations as well.