The implementation of random_device in VS2010?

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According to a comment left on this question by Hans Passant, random_device uses advapi32:SystemFunction036, which according to MSDN is an alias for RtlGenRandom. This is verified by the runtime library source provided with VC++ 2010:

random_device::operator()() in <random> calls the following chain of functions:

_Random_device() // in xrngdev.cpp
    rand_s()     // in rand_s.c
        RtlGenRandom()/SystemFunction036()  // in advapi32.dll

According to a comment left by Michael Howard on one of his blog articles, “Cryptographically Secure Random number on Windows without using CryptoAPI”, RtlGenRandom uses the following:

The RNG generates as specified in FIPS 186-2 appendix 3.1 with SHA-1
as the G function. With entropy from:

  • The current process ID (GetCurrentProcessID).

  • The current thread ID (GetCurrentThreadID).

  • The ticks since boot (GetTickCount).

  • The current time (GetLocalTime).

  • Various high-precision performance counters (QueryPerformanceCounter).

  • An MD4 hash of the user’s environment block, which includes username, computer name, and search path. MD4 is a hashing algorithm
    that creates a 128-bit message digest from input data to verify data
    integrity.

  • High-precision internal CPU counters, such as RDTSC, RDMSR, RDPMC

  • Low-level system information: Idle Process Time, Io Read Transfer Count, I/O Write Transfer Count, I/O Other Transfer Count, I/O Read
    Operation Count, I/O Write Operation Count, I/O Other Operation Count,
    Available Pages, Committed Pages, Commit Limit, Peak Commitment, Page
    Fault Count, Copy On Write Count, Transition Count, Cache Transition
    Count, Demand Zero Count, Page Read Count, Page Read I/O Count, Cache
    Read Count, Cache I/O Count, Dirty Pages Write Count, Dirty Write I/O
    Count, Mapped Pages Write Count, Mapped Write I/O Count, Paged Pool
    Pages, Non Paged Pool Pages, Paged Pool Allocated space, Paged Pool
    Free space, Non Paged Pool Allocated space, Non Paged Pool Free space,
    Free System page table entry, Resident System Code Page, Total System
    Driver Pages, Total System Code Pages, Non Paged Pool Lookaside Hits,
    Paged Pool Lookaside Hits, Available Paged Pool Pages, Resident System
    Cache Page, Resident Paged Pool Page, Resident System Driver Page,
    Cache manager Fast Read with No Wait, Cache manager Fast Read with
    Wait, Cache manager Fast Read Resource Missed, Cache manager Fast Read
    Not Possible, Cache manager Fast Memory Descriptor List Read with No
    Wait, Cache manager Fast Memory Descriptor List Read with Wait, Cache
    manager Fast Memory Descriptor List Read Resource Missed, Cache
    manager Fast Memory Descriptor List Read Not Possible, Cache manager
    Map Data with No Wait, Cache manager Map Data with Wait, Cache manager
    Map Data with No Wait Miss, Cache manager Map Data Wait Miss, Cache
    manager Pin-Mapped Data Count, Cache manager Pin-Read with No Wait,
    Cache manager Pin Read with Wait, Cache manager Pin-Read with No Wait
    Miss, Cache manager Pin-Read Wait Miss, Cache manager Copy-Read with
    No Wait, Cache manager Copy-Read with Wait, Cache manager Copy-Read
    with No Wait Miss, Cache manager Copy-Read with Wait Miss, Cache
    manager Memory Descriptor List Read with No Wait, Cache manager Memory
    Descriptor List Read with Wait, Cache manager Memory Descriptor List
    Read with No Wait Miss, Cache manager Memory Descriptor List Read with
    Wait Miss, Cache manager Read Ahead IOs, Cache manager Lazy-Write IOs,
    Cache manager Lazy-Write Pages, Cache manager Data Flushes, Cache
    manager Data Pages, Context Switches, First Level Translation buffer
    Fills, Second Level Translation buffer Fills, and System Calls.

  • System exception information consisting of Alignment Fix up Count, Exception Dispatch Count, Floating Emulation Count, and Byte Word
    Emulation Count.

  • System lookaside information consisting of Current Depth, Maximum Depth, Total Allocates, Allocate Misses, Total Frees, Free Misses,
    Type, Tag, and Size.

  • System interrupt information consisting of context switches, deferred procedure call count, deferred procedure call rate, time
    increment, deferred procedure call bypass count, and asynchronous
    procedure call bypass count.

  • System process information consisting of Next Entry Offset, Number Of Threads, Create Time, User Time, Kernel Time, Image Name, Base
    Priority, Unique Process ID, Inherited from Unique Process ID, Handle
    Count, Session ID, Page Directory Base, Peak Virtual Size, Virtual
    Size, Page Fault Count, Peak Working Set Size, Working Set Size, Quota
    Peak Paged Pool Usage, Quota Paged Pool Usage, Quota Peak Non Paged
    Pool Usage, Quota Non Paged Pool Usage, Page file Usage, Peak Page
    file Usage, Private Page Count, Read Operation Count, Write Operation
    Count, Other Operation Count, Read Transfer Count, Write Transfer
    Count, and Other Transfer Count.

There’s a full explanation (including diagrams) in Chapter 8 of Writing Secure Code, 2nd Edition.

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