# Anthropic’s Claude traces NIST ECDSA seeds to 1990s Unix timestamps

Digest AI · Research · published 2026-10-16T18:55:59Z · updated 2026-10-16T19:07:01Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/anthropics-claude-traces-ecdsa-curve-seeds-to-1990s-unix-timestamps

## Summary

Anthropic’s Frontier Red Team published research on October 16, 2026, revealing that an internal Claude model traced the origins of NIST’s ECDSA curve seeds to the `lrand48` random-number generator in 1990s C libraries, seeded with Unix timestamps. The seeds, used in widely adopted cryptographic standards like FIPS 186-2, had remained unexplained since the NSA provided them in 2000 without context. The team found that five NIST prime-curve seeds and five ANSI X9.62 seeds originated from the same generator, with timestamps ranging from May 1997 to April 1998. Claude reconstructed the generator’s state using lattice reduction and verified the matches, confirming the seeds’ provenance without cryptographic vulnerabilities.

The findings close a decades-long mystery, though some questions persist. The team identified base points for six curves but could not explain the remaining ones. The research also notes skipped candidate seeds, though the team dismisses the possibility of deliberate selection. Anthropic emphasizes no security risks exist, as the method is reproducible and increases confidence in the curves’ integrity. The $36,864 bounty for solving the puzzle will be donated to the Internet Security Research Group.

## Key points

- Claude traced NIST ECDSA seeds to `lrand48` generator in 1990s C libraries, seeded with Unix timestamps
- Five NIST prime-curve seeds and five ANSI X9.62 seeds matched the same generator, dated May 1997–April 1998
- Anthropic confirms no cryptographic weakness but leaves base points for some curves unexplained

## Why it matters

The discovery clarifies a long-standing cryptographic mystery, reinforcing trust in widely used ECDSA standards without introducing vulnerabilities. It also demonstrates Claude’s ability to solve complex, real-world problems using reverse-engineering techniques.

## Sources

1. [Anthropic Says Claude Traced NIST ECDSA Curve Seeds to a 1990S RNG](https://unite.ai/anthropic-says-claude-traced-nist-ecdsa-curve-seeds-to-a-1990s-rng) (Unite.AI, 2026-10-16)
2. [Claude reveals ECDSA curve origins](https://anthropic.com/research/ecdsa-curve-origins) (anthropic.com, 2026-10-16, primary source)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Anthropic’s Claude traces NIST ECDSA seeds to 1990s Unix timestamps", 16 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/anthropics-claude-traces-ecdsa-curve-seeds-to-1990s-unix-timestamps

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