Extracting entropy from machine vibration

• US 9,880,812 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boenisch, Volker, Buendgen, Reinhard, Geisert, Franziska, Lang, Jakob, Lattermann, Mareike, Notohardjono, Budy D, Nunez-Mencias, Angel
• Primary Examiner(s): Lagor, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/949,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 708250, 380 42, 380216, 380253, 713 1, 713168, 713175, 726 5, 726 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/588 Random number generators, i.e. based on natural stochastic processes
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 1/00 Apparatus or methods whereby a given sequence of signs, e.g. an intelligible text, is transformed into an unintelligible sequence of signs by transposing the signs or groups of signs or by replacing them by others according to a predetermined system cryptographic typewriters G09C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds

Abstract

Generating a pool of random numbers for use by computer applications. Vibration sensors are placed throughout a machine and collects information theoretic entropy data from the measurement of the vibration sensors. The data is then filtered and added to an entropy pool. Applications needing a random number may acquire a number from the pool. A method, computer program product and system to generate the pool are provided.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer program product for random number generation for security relevant features of cryptography applications, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable by a computer processor to perform a method comprising;

acquiring, by at least one sensor, analog vibration data from the machine;

converting, by a computer processor, the analog vibration data to digital data;

filtering the digital data, wherein the digital data is comprised of numbers, wherein the filtering comprises removing non-random parts of the numbers of the digital data, dropping leading zeros from the digital data and using non-zero numbers of the digital data;

storing the filtered data within a memory unit to form a random number pool from which random numbers may be selected; and

wherein the filtered data is initially entered into the random number pool while operating in a coarse grained mode to extract a range of bits, and responsive to completely filling the random number pool transitioning from a coarse grained mode to a fine grained mode, wherein the coarse grained mode gathers vibration data during a manufacturing mode occurring prior to entering the fine grained mode, wherein the fine grained mode gathers the vibration during a normal operation mode.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired during manufacturing of the machine, thereby forming the random number pool before the machine is completely manufactured.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired while the machine is powered on.

4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to monitor the vibration of a cooling component of the machine.

5. The computer program product according to claim 4, wherein in response to one of the at least one sensor detecting no vibration, vibration data is acquired by another sensor.

6. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a tri-axial accelerometer installed in a motor drives assembly of a rotating component within the machine.

7. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired during shipment of the machine.

8. The computer program product according to claim 4, wherein the cooling component is a cooling fan.

9. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired from a motor drive assembly installed in the machine.

19. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the filtered data is stored in the memory in at least one of a last-in first-out (LIFO) or first-in first-out (FIFO) order.

10. A computer system to generate random numbers, the system comprising:

a computer processor;

at least one sensor in communication with the processor for acquiring analog vibration data from the system;

wherein the computer processor executes machine executable code that performs the steps of;

converting the analog vibration data to digital data;

filtering the digital data, wherein the digital data is comprised of numbers, wherein the filtering comprises removing non-random parts of the numbers of the digital data, dropping leading zeros from the digital data and using non-zero numbers of the digital data to produce filtered data;

storing the filtered data within a memory unit to form a random number pool from which random numbers may be selected; and

wherein the filtered data is initially entered into the random number pool while operating in a coarse grained mode to extract a range of bits, and responsive to completely filling the random number pool transitioning from a coarse grained mode to a fine grained mode, wherein the coarse grained mode gathers vibration data during a manufacturing mode occurring prior to entering the fine grained mode, wherein the fine grained mode gathers the vibration during a normal operation mode.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired during manufacturing of the system, thereby forming the random number pool before the machine is completely manufactured.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired while the system is powered on.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is configured to monitor the vibration of a cooling component of the system.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein in response to one of the at least one sensor detecting no vibration, vibration data is acquired by another sensor.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a tri-axial accelerometer installed in a motor drives assembly of a rotating component within the system.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired during shipment of the system.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the cooling component is a cooling fan.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the analog vibration data is acquired from a motor drive assembly installed in the system.