Kolmogorov and Markov axioms

[ozzy_85]

Greetings Gurus...

I want to determine how random a given string is. By random i mean that statistically speaking, it should be difficult for a person to determine any patterns within the string ( This i want to do to test the strength of a cipher. ) I've been using google for help and found out that kolmogorov and markov chains can help me in my task. I'm not able to get the right guidance though... Any help on these topics wud be deeply appreciated.

Regards,
Ozzy

[torzolo]

hi Ozzy,

I am not a guru, but perhaps if you can transform this string in numbers , you can analyze it with a Pseudorandom Number Sequence Test Program like this:

http://www.fourmilab.ch/random/


remember that I have not yet tested this application with too short sequence of random numbers, but perhaps it is possible with any modifications.

If you're interested , a good tool to generate random strings is here:

http://www.hirtlesoftware.com/p_passpr.htm


Regards

:bg