A Simple Unpredictable Pseudo-Random Number Generator

Two closely-related pseudo-random sequence generators are presented: The lIP generator, with input P a prime, outputs the quotient digits obtained on dividing by P. The x mod N generator with inputs N, Xo (where N P. Q is a product of distinct primes, each congruent to 3 mod 4, and x0 is a quadratic residue mod N), outputs bob1 b2" where bi parity (xi) and xi+ x mod N. From short seeds each generator efficiently produces long well-distributed sequences. Moreover, both generators have computationally hard problems at their core. The first generator’s sequences, however, are completely predictable (from any small segment of 21PI + consecutive digits one can infer the "seed," P, and continue the sequence backwards and forwards), whereas the second, under a certain intractability assumption, is unpredictable in a precise sense. The second generator has additional interesting properties: from knowledge of Xo and N but not P or Q, one can generate the sequence forwards, but, under the above-mentioned intractability assumption, one can not generate the sequence backwards. From the additional knowledge of P and Q, one can generate the sequence backwards; one can even "jump" about from any point in the sequence to any other. Because of these properties, the x mod N generator promises many interesting applications, e.g., to public-key cryptography. To use these generators in practice, an analysis is needed of various properties of these sequences such as their periods. This analysis is begun here. Key words, random, pseudo-random, Monte Carlo, computational complexity, secure transactions, public-key encryption, cryptography, one-time pad, Jacobi symbol, quadratic residuacity What do we want from a pseudo-random sequence generator? Ideally, we would like a pseudo-random sequence generator to quickly produce, from short seeds, long sequences (of bits) that appear in every way to be generated by successive flips of a