Cryptography depends on strong keys. Strong keys depend on randomness. But where does that randomness actually begin?
At the foundation of every secure random bit generator lies a source of unpredictability. That source may be physical, drawing entropy from phenomena such as oscillator jitter or electronic noise, or non-physical, deriving unpredictability from complex system behavior such as execution timing, processor activity, and operating-system events.
Which approach provides greater confidence? How should entropy be modeled and estimated? What can statistical and health testing actually tell us? And what happens when a noise source behaves differently from the assumptions behind its design?
At FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026, the expert panel, “Where Randomness Begins: Physical or Not?”, will explore one of the most fundamental questions underlying cryptographic security: What makes a noise source trustworthy?
The distinguished panel brings together four experts, representing extensive global experience in random number generation and entropy evaluation:
- Prof. Dr. Werner Schindler, Section Head at BSI
- Chris Celi, CAVP Program Manager and ESV Project Lead, NIST
- Dr. Tim Hall, NVLAP Technical Assessor, Former STVM Group Manager at NIST Computer Security Division
- Stephan Mueller, Principal Consultant, atsec DE
The panel, moderated by Dr. Marcos Portnoi, atsec US lab director, will examine these questions through the perspectives of NIST SP 800-90B and SP 800-90C, BSI AIS 20/31, and the recently published NIST IR 8446, which compares the NIST and BSI approaches to random number generation and demonstrates the unified underlying requirements of NIST and BSI.
Behind all of these questions lies one that matters to every cryptographic system: If we trust our keys, what gives us confidence in the randomness behind them?
Join the discussion at FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026, October 26–27 at UT Austin.