EVP_RAND-JITTER(7ossl) OpenSSL EVP_RAND-JITTER(7ossl)
NAME
EVP_RAND-JITTER - The randomness seed source EVP_RAND implementation
DESCRIPTION
Support for deterministic random number generator seeding through the
EVP_RAND API.
This software seed source produces randomness based on tiny CPU "jitter"
fluctuations.
It is available when OpenSSL is compiled with enable-jitter option. When
available it is listed in openssl list -random-generators and openssl
info -seeds.
Identity
"JITTER" is the name for this implementation; it can be used with the
EVP_RAND_fetch() function.
Supported parameters
The supported parameters are:
"state" (OSSL_RAND_PARAM_STATE) <integer>
"strength" (OSSL_RAND_PARAM_STRENGTH) <unsigned integer>
"max_request" (OSSL_RAND_PARAM_MAX_REQUEST) <unsigned integer>
"fips-indicator" (OSSL_RAND_PARAM_FIPS_APPROVED_INDICATOR) <integer>
This parameter is available in the FIPS provider and returns 1.
These parameters work as described in "PARAMETERS" in EVP_RAND(3).
NOTES
A context for the seed source can be obtained by calling:
EVP_RAND *rand = EVP_RAND_fetch(NULL, "JITTER", NULL);
EVP_RAND_CTX *rctx = EVP_RAND_CTX_new(rand, NULL);
The enable-jitter option was added in OpenSSL 3.4.
By specifying the enable-fips-jitter configuration option, the FIPS
provider will use an internal jitter source for its entropy. Enabling
this option will cause the FIPS provider to operate in a non-compliant
mode unless an entropy assessment ESV
<https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/cryptographic-module-validation-
program/entropy-validations> and validation through the CMVP
<https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/cryptographic-module-validation-program>
are additionally conducted. This option was added in OpenSSL 3.5.
EXAMPLES
EVP_RAND *rand;
EVP_RAND_CTX *seed, *rctx;
unsigned char bytes[100];
OSSL_PARAM params[2], *p = params;
unsigned int strength = 128;
/* Create and instantiate a seed source */
rand = EVP_RAND_fetch(NULL, "JITTER", NULL);
seed = EVP_RAND_CTX_new(rand, NULL);
EVP_RAND_instantiate(seed, strength, 0, NULL, 0, NULL);
EVP_RAND_free(rand);
/* Feed this into a DRBG */
rand = EVP_RAND_fetch(NULL, "CTR-DRBG", NULL);
rctx = EVP_RAND_CTX_new(rand, seed);
EVP_RAND_free(rand);
/* Configure the DRBG */
*p++ = OSSL_PARAM_construct_utf8_string(OSSL_DRBG_PARAM_CIPHER,
SN_aes_256_ctr, 0);
*p = OSSL_PARAM_construct_end();
EVP_RAND_instantiate(rctx, strength, 0, NULL, 0, params);
EVP_RAND_generate(rctx, bytes, sizeof(bytes), strength, 0, NULL, 0);
EVP_RAND_CTX_free(rctx);
EVP_RAND_CTX_free(seed);
SEE ALSO
EVP_RAND(3), "PARAMETERS" in EVP_RAND(3)
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2024-2026 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.
Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use
this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy
in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
<https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.
3.6.5 2026-09-29 EVP_RAND-JITTER(7ossl)
openssl 3.6.5 - Generated Sat Oct 3 10:02:46 CDT 2026