entropy

cryptographysecurity

A measure of unpredictability; in security, the randomness that makes keys and secrets hard to guess.

High entropy means an attacker cannot narrow down the possibilities, which is why keys must come from a good random source, not a predictable one. Weak entropy, a poor random generator, a low-variety password, quietly undermines otherwise strong cryptography.

Also known as: randomness, csprng, key entropy

← All glossary entries