Definition ∞ Entropy collapse refers to a critical reduction in the randomness or unpredictability of a cryptographic system’s input. When the entropy source used to generate secret keys or random numbers becomes compromised or insufficient, the resulting outputs become predictable. This severe weakness makes cryptographic keys vulnerable to brute-force attacks or other methods of deduction. A collapse in entropy can lead to the complete compromise of digital assets or secure communications.
Context ∞ News reports concerning entropy collapse often highlight significant security breaches where private keys or random numbers were generated with insufficient randomness, leading to asset theft. This issue underscores the importance of robust random number generators in all cryptographic applications, especially for wallet creation and transaction signing. The industry consistently works to implement and verify high-quality entropy sources to prevent such vulnerabilities.
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