MS to bundle 'broken' random number tool in Vista SP1
Developers urged to avoid built-in backdoor
By John Leyden → More by this author
Published Tuesday 18th December 2007 12:04 GMT
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/vista_sp1_rng_backdoor_fears/

Microsoft plans to bundle a cryptographically flawed pseudo random number
generator in its upcoming service pack for Windows Vista.

Cryptographers have expressed concern about a possible backdoor in a
standard for random number generators approved by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) this year.

The cryptographically weak Dual_EC_DRBG approach, which is based on the
mathematics of elliptic curves, was one of four "deterministic random bit
generators", approved by the NIST in March.