The Arduino as a Hardware Random-Number Generator

Abstract

Cheap micro-controllers, such as the Arduino or other controllers based on the Atmel AVR CPUs are being deployed in a wide variety of projects, ranging from sensors networks to robotic submarines. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of using the Arduino as a true random number generator (TRNG). The Arduino Reference Manual recommends using it to seed a pseudo random number generator (PRNG) due to its ability to read random atmospheric noise from its analog pins. This is an enticing application since true bits of entropy are hard to come by. Unfortunately, we show by statistical methods that the atmospheric noise of an Arduino is largely predictable in a variety of settings, and is thus a weak source of entropy. We explore various methods to extract true randomness from the micro-controller and conclude that it should not be used to produce randomness from its analog pins.