What does pseudo-random numbers actually mean? Find out inside PCMag's comprehensive tech and computer-related encyclopedia.

Random numbers are crucial for computing, but our current algorithms aren’t truly random. Researchers at Brown University have now found a way to tap into the fluctuations of quasiparticles to ...

Making random numbers that are actually random is actually a tough nut to crack. Most of what we do is, technically, pseudo-random (but we’ll say random number and assume you know what we mean).

One algorithm, a pseudo-random bit generator, Dual_EC_DRBG, was ratified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2007 and is attracting a lot of attention for having a ...

Often the default seed value for a pseudo-random number generator is something like the current time converted to a number.

To foil would-be hackers, computer systems need to generate sequences of random numbers. Some systems use what’s known as pseudo-random numbers, which are actually complex patterns that begin with a ...

Microsoft has acknowledged that Windows XP is plagued by the same encryption flaws Israeli researchers recently unveiled in Windows 2000; a fix will be included in the XP SP3 due out next year.