Anthropic's Claude AI Traces NIST P-256 Seed to 1997 Random Number Generator

For over two decades, the seed behind the NIST P-256 elliptic curve, crucial for internet security, remained unexplained. Now, researchers from Anthropic have revealed that the seed can be traced back to a standard random number generator run on August 16, 1997, at 01:52:34 UTC.

The P-256 seed (C49D360886E704936A6678E1139D26B7819F7E90) was generated by the POSIX-standard pseudorandom number generator, lrand48/drand48, which was seeded with a Unix timestamp. This discovery was made possible through the Claude AI model, which reportedly solved the mystery in under 30 minutes.

The findings were announced on October 16, 2026, after the completion of a $36,864 bounty challenge set by cryptographer Filippo Valsorda. The Anthropic team not only claimed the bounty but also donated the funds to the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

Historically, suspicion surrounded the NSA's involvement in cryptographic standards, particularly after the 2013 Dual_EC_DRBG revelations raised concerns about potential backdoors in cryptographic algorithms. The seeds for the NIST curves were provided by Jerry Solinas from the NSA, leading to speculation about their integrity.

Anthropic's analysis found no evidence of intentional weaknesses in the seed generation process, suggesting that the method used leaves little room for hidden vulnerabilities. However, the discovery also highlighted that the seeds were not produced using the transparent methodologies preferred by modern cryptographers.

While the findings are reassuring for internet security, they also prompt a reevaluation of other legacy cryptographic standards that may benefit from similar AI-driven analysis. For now, the practical implications for P-256 users remain unchanged, as the curve itself has not been compromised.