True Random Number Generators for FPGAs

According to the renowned Kerckhoffs’ principle, a cryptographic system should be secure even if the attacker knows everything about the system, except the key. In modern computers and embedded systems, this key is usually generated by executing a True Random Number Generator. Unfortunately, designing a TRNG is not trivial and different from conventional digital circuit design. Instead of pursuing a stable and predictable behavior of the circuit, the TRNG design aims for a stable and robust unpredictability. Having mistakes or being careless at any step of the TRNG design and fabrication procedure may lead to insufficient entropy or/and a malfunctioned TRNG.

The work of this thesis focuses on the design and evaluation of secure true random number generators. This thesis covers different components of the TRNG, including the entropy source, the digitization, the post-processing and the online tests.