Cryptographic Key From Webcam Image

Random numbers plays a critical role in cryptosystem. Random key is recognized as an essential part of the security of cryptographic system. Even more today, it has become as an integral part of cryptographic algorithms. Due to the nature of random numbers, pseudorandom numbers are preferred instead due to it efficiency and reliability. As the name suggests, pseudorandom numbers are not truly random. Rather, they are generated from a mathematical formula. The outputs of pseudorandom number generators may exhibit some of the properties of random numbers. Pseudorandom numbers are predictable, periodic and repeatable by the developer of the cryptosystem. Truly random numbers are believed to be generated only using hardware random number generators. Careful statistical analysis is still required to have any confidence the process and apparatus generates numbers that are sufficiently ‘random’ to suit the cryptographic use. In this paper, user’s image from digital webcam shall be tested for its randomness according to the NIST Statistical Test Suite. Recommendation on using webcam images as source of random cryptographic keys shall be reported.