[ale] little math

[Geoffrey]

Jim Popovitch wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 10:05, Geoffrey <lists at serioustechnology.com> wrote:
>> Boris Borisov wrote:
>>>  Why you just not create small file ( 2 MB ) with random data and dd it
>>> to the disk. dd ~/random.file > /dev/hda.. Never tried but won't call
>>> CPU to calculate every random number. Must be random enough.
>> The randomness of such a solution is, a, not random?  You'd simply be
>> repeating that same data, hence not random.
> 
> But the data that is being repeated is itself random.   So you would
> essentially be repeating random data sequentially.   The only pattern
> is the random data.

As I see it, he's creating a single 2 mb random file.  Then write that 
repeatedly to the disk.  You've just created a pattern.  If you now 
write encrypted data to that drive, you can easily spot it as the rest 
of the disk is chunks of 2mb data that are all identical.

> 
> -Jim P.
> 
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-- 
Until later, Geoffrey

"I predict future happiness for America if they can prevent
the government from wasting the labors of the people under
the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson