SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

Here are links to the technology I believe your referring to

https://theconversation.com/shape-shifting-computer-chip-thwarts-an-army-of-hackers-159990
https://www.industrialcybersecuritypulse.com/computer-chip-wins-cybersecurity-bounty/

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

OK, I'm game. How do you know?
--Bob

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

I remember an old sign in a software lab,

Random Number Generation is Far to Important to Be Left to Chance!

Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX

Fascinating !!
So I'm forced to wonder how the computer user can install new programs, while a malware attack will fail to do the same thing? In any event, it would be nice to know when the Morpheus technology will be commonly available on computer motherboards.

pendennis

When we first became involved in time share database computing in the 80's, we came up with the idea to "play the Lotto", using 47 numbers, and randomly generating six numbers. IBM had a database program for users, and one of the functions was random number generation. We gave up on the idea, though. What if we generated a winning combination, but didn't bet it?

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

But it is still not truly RANDOM. Starting the program from scratch with the same seed has a likelihood of generating the same numbers. This is, unless the program is written to alter the seed in some Random pattern . . . Which means a Random number is required to . . . .

Some of the best random number generators quantify truly random event series, such as time between lighting strikes or (more practically) time between detections or radioactive decay and particle emission.

A good [practical] one is Hot Bits from Fourmilab. The author is the developer of AUTOCAD:
https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/. This may be used to develop a random number sequence for cryptographic or other purposes. (And he has crypto. programs as well).

The practical use of random sequences is for generation of a one-time code. Unbreakable. At least by any other than quantum-computational means. (And then you get every possible translation (or decoding)—how do you choose the “correct” one?).

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

The best encryption is using quantum particles. I posted a link here about it a couple months ago. It also explained how quantum physics is used in your everyday life. ie MRI machine

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

This technology was even a factor in an NCIS episode a year or so ago. A computer company generated random numbers with a wall of lava lamps sitting on shelves. When the plot required that the number sequence be stopped (to prevent some sort of terrible outcome), a character threw a chair at shelves and knocked over all the lava lamps. Perhaps they over-simplified the technical details…

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

I'm an Ex USCG Telecommunications Specialist Retired, while assigned to Commander Atlantic Area on Governors we were instructed on their use. They come in 2 pads, one for encoding, one for encryption once used that code is destroyed never to be used again. They take up a lot of room for storage and for one month you have 60 of em in a safe. You can't break the code. Downsides they are slow as molasses to encode/decrypt. And that is the rest of the story.

JBRIII

The big worry is that quantum computers will be able to break the best encryption available today. Radioactive decay generates true random numbers.

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

As a member of the Army Security Agency in Vietnam we used one-time code “pads” for morse code communications between bases and direction finding outstations. Each was consecutively numbered and used then destroyed.
As I recall, a sequential number on each PAIR of code pads would be sent and verified, then encoding could take place, and the message sent. At the receiving end, the operator would enter the encoded data and get the decoded message. The operation could take place about as fast as code could be sent/received. Generally messages were restricted to less than 100 characters—which worked well with the pads.

It was definitely a pain to get pads distributed and secured, but provided unbreakable communication.

The pads were generated by the friendly folks at NSA, then printed up by someone somewhere [classified].

It has been proven (mathematically) that if a RANDOMLY generated one-time “key” (or code) is generated, and the message is SHORTER than this key, there will be no REPEATS and therefore no way to attack the encryption.

Mechanical coding machines (like the German Enigma) had to “Synchronize” the starting alignment and order of the code-wheels and Wiring-board. They did this by sending a group of numbers in the contact-heading to the recipient, who would then know how to set the receiving machines innards so that the two machines would be “synchronized”. Analysis of the machines and theoretical work by the Poles allowed for Dr. Turing and others to make mechanical machines that could, if given some hints, run through all possible combinations of decodes, until the message was recovered. See: The Hut Six Story by Peter Welchman.

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

Interesting thanks for your experiences and your service through those trying times their in 68/69 & 72. Our traffic tended to long winded. Our pads were a back up in case other means failed.

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

And thank you for your service and dedication.

The Pads were used just to get Radio Direction Finding (RDF) "shot" calls to the ops at remote stations.
We had other machines, some of the KY series [KY-8, KY-63(?)] used for longer traffic.

So at the time, we could identify WHERE people were sending from (RDF), and identify individual radios with Radio Fingerprinting (RFP) machines, so we could tell WHO was sending.

RFP machines were not deployed in the field outside of major bases. There were at least four DF outstations in-country. I had visited the one up North at Phu Bai, and was the Elec. maint. tech. at the outstation at the Australian/New Zealand base just outside of Nui Dat in the South for about five months.

Many moons ago!

Be well.