Programming

what types of methods and algorithms are used to track random number generators? I'm working on computer security, and I want to know all the different ways to track random number generators so I know what to counter

What do you mean by "track" in this case? Keep track of what PRNGs are out there?

by "track" I mean predict what numbers will be generated by the RNG in advance.

Hi.
But probably impossible for sources such as:
Best wishes ... cheers, drl

thank you for the information, I actually own the first, third, and fourth volumes of "The Art of Computer Programming" however I never bought the second volume. I shall look into it. I have heard of the idea of generating random numbers using the uncertainty in the quantum mechanical laws of nature; however as far as the Computer Science community has published, it has not successfully been done in a way such that no pattern will emerge, so the HotBits is most likely very random, but not 100% untraceable.

Aim an alpha/beta radiation source at a camera and note where random pixels appear -- where does the computing bias arise in that?

Or more lately, reflect a coherent optical source back into itself and record the avalanche of noise that comes out. This one particularly can generate random numbers very very fast.

I did say that this was for a computer security project. I figured that it implied that everything was being done computationally, with no specific physical elements involved, so that it may work on any computer. So I was not considering anything involving a physical trigger. it is well known to me that radioactive decay is entirely random.