A user investigating AMD's hardware random number generator claims it never produces a zero value across millions of samples, a potential flaw that could undermine cryptographic operations relying on true randomness. AMD has acknowledged and escalated the report internally, but no fix or explanation has been issued yet, leaving questions about the reliability of hardware RNGs used in security-critical systems.

This article clarifies common misconceptions about /dev/urandom and /dev/random, emphasizing that both use the same cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator. It highlights that /dev/urandom is generally suitable for cryptographic purposes, and the perceived security differences are outdated, making it a reliable choice for developers and security professionals. Understanding these nuances helps improve security practices and dispels unnecessary fears about entropy and randomness sources in Linux systems.