A Resource-Friendly Random Number Generation Algorithm for IoT

Random number generation is an essential component in computer science. In the domain of computer security, the generation of random numbers is particularly crucial, directly impacting the security of systems. Random numbers are categorized into true random numbers and pseudo-random numbers. We only discuss the generation of pseudo-random numbers here. True random numbers are usually collected through physical phenomena and require certain physical equipment support, which is not universal. The generation of pseudo-random numbers typically involves using a fixed algorithm to calculate a pseudo-random number based on an input seed value. The input seed value determines the output random number. On resource-limited devices, using hardware to collect high-quality random seeds requires the addition of appropriate equipment, while using software to generate random numbers needs to consider the computational cost and security. According to the specific situation of resource-constrained devices, we design an algorithm to generate random numbers based on hash function, and analyze its security and computational cost. Meanwhile, we compare our algorithm with the random number generation techniques recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), demonstrating that our algorithm offers superior computational cost benefits.