How can the combination of human-generated inputs like timestamps with computer-generated randomness affect the overall randomness of a PHP application?
When human-generated inputs like timestamps are combined with computer-generated randomness in a PHP application, it can potentially reduce the overall randomness of the system. This is because the human-generated inputs may not be truly random and could introduce patterns or biases into the randomness. To mitigate this issue, it's important to use a secure random number generator for computer-generated randomness and consider using cryptographic functions to combine it with human-generated inputs in a way that preserves randomness.
// Using a secure random number generator to generate random values
$randomNumber = random_int(1, 100);
// Using a cryptographic function to combine random number with timestamp
$timestamp = time();
$combinedValue = hash('sha256', $randomNumber . $timestamp);
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