Clock drift

Clock drift refers to several related phenomena where a clock does not run at exactly the same rate as a reference clock. That is, after some time the clock "drifts apart" or gradually desynchronizes from the other clock. This phenomenon is used, for instance, in computers to build random number generators. On the negative side, clock drift can be exploited by timing attacks.

Clock drift

Clock drift refers to several related phenomena where a clock does not run at exactly the same rate as a reference clock. That is, after some time the clock "drifts apart" or gradually desynchronizes from the other clock. This phenomenon is used, for instance, in computers to build random number generators. On the negative side, clock drift can be exploited by timing attacks.