diff --git a/src/network/ssl/ssl.c b/src/network/ssl/ssl.c
index c14ab6762..4d598b444 100644
--- a/src/network/ssl/ssl.c
+++ b/src/network/ssl/ssl.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <openssl/ssl.h>
 #include <openssl/rand.h>
 #elif defined(CONFIG_GNUTLS)
+#include <gcrypt.h>
 #include <gnutls/gnutls.h>
 #else
 #error "Huh?! You have SSL enabled, but not OPENSSL nor GNUTLS!! And then you want exactly *what* from me?"
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "util/conv.h"
 #include "util/error.h"
 #include "util/string.h"
+#include "util/random.h"
 
 
 /* FIXME: As you can see, SSL is currently implemented in very, erm,
@@ -282,3 +284,17 @@ get_ssl_connection_cipher(struct socket *socket)
 
 	return str.source;
 }
+
+/* When CONFIG_SSL is defined, this implementation replaces the one in
+ * src/util/random.c.  */
+void
+random_nonce(unsigned char buf[], size_t size)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_OPENSSL
+	RAND_pseudo_bytes(buf, size);
+#elif defined(CONFIG_GNUTLS)
+	gcry_create_nonce(buf, size);
+#else
+# error unsupported SSL library
+#endif
+}
diff --git a/src/protocol/auth/digest.c b/src/protocol/auth/digest.c
index d8a2abdfb..c93bf50f3 100644
--- a/src/protocol/auth/digest.c
+++ b/src/protocol/auth/digest.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "util/conv.h"
 #include "util/md5.h"
 #include "util/memory.h"
+#include "util/random.h"
 
 
 /* Hexes a binary md5 digest. Taken from RFC 2617 */
@@ -31,18 +32,14 @@ convert_to_md5_digest_hex_T(md5_digest_bin_T bin, md5_digest_hex_T hex)
 	}
 }
 
-/* Initializes a random cnonce that is also a hexed md5 digest. */
+/* Initializes a random cnonce that has the same format as a hexed md5
+ * digest. */
 static void
 init_cnonce_digest(md5_digest_hex_T cnonce)
 {
 	md5_digest_bin_T md5;
-	int random;
-
-	srand(time(NULL));
-
-	random = rand();
-	MD5((const unsigned char *) &random, sizeof(random), md5);
 
+	random_nonce(md5, MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH);
 	convert_to_md5_digest_hex_T(md5, cnonce);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/protocol/bittorrent/common.c b/src/protocol/bittorrent/common.c
index cc932c1bf..c4591f066 100644
--- a/src/protocol/bittorrent/common.c
+++ b/src/protocol/bittorrent/common.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "util/error.h"
 #include "util/lists.h"
 #include "util/memory.h"
+#include "util/random.h"
 #include "util/sha1.h"
 #include "util/string.h"
 #include "util/snprintf.h"
@@ -167,13 +168,10 @@ init_bittorrent_peer_id(bittorrent_id_T peer_id)
 	}
 
 	/* Hmm, sizeof(peer_id) don't work here. */
+	random_nonce(peer_id + i, sizeof(bittorrent_id_T) - i);
 	while (i < sizeof(bittorrent_id_T)) {
-		int random = rand();
-
-		while (i < sizeof(bittorrent_id_T) && (random & 0xF)) {
-			peer_id[i++] = hx(random & 0xF);
-			random >>= 4;
-		}
+		peer_id[i] = hx(peer_id[i] & 0xF);
+		i++;
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/protocol/bittorrent/piececache.c b/src/protocol/bittorrent/piececache.c
index d1644568a..306ec7ca3 100644
--- a/src/protocol/bittorrent/piececache.c
+++ b/src/protocol/bittorrent/piececache.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include "util/file.h"
 #include "util/lists.h"
 #include "util/memory.h"
+#include "util/random.h"
 #include "util/string.h"
 
 
@@ -165,7 +166,7 @@ find_random_in_bittorrent_piece_cache(struct bittorrent_piece_cache *cache,
 
 	assert(peer->bitfield->bitsize == peer->bittorrent->meta.pieces);
 
-	srand(time(NULL));
+	seed_rand_once();
 
 	foreachback_bitfield_set (piece, peer->bitfield) {
 		assertm(cache->entries[piece].rarity,
@@ -238,7 +239,7 @@ find_rarest_in_bittorrent_piece_cache(struct bittorrent_piece_cache *cache,
 
 	assert(peer->bitfield->bitsize == peer->bittorrent->meta.pieces);
 
-	srand(time(NULL));
+	seed_rand_once();
 
 	/* Try to randomize the piece picking using the strategy from the random
 	 * piece selection. */
diff --git a/src/util/Makefile b/src/util/Makefile
index 1a453c4d4..c0fa9dfb7 100644
--- a/src/util/Makefile
+++ b/src/util/Makefile
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ OBJS = \
  hash.o \
  memlist.o \
  memory.o \
+ random.o \
  secsave.o \
  snprintf.o \
  string.o \
diff --git a/src/util/random.c b/src/util/random.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..42c6611c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/random.c
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+/** Random numbers.
+ * @file */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "config.h"
+#endif
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <time.h>
+
+#include "elinks.h"
+
+#include "util/random.h"
+
+void
+seed_rand_once(void)
+{
+	static int seeded = 0;
+
+	if (!seeded) {
+		srand(time(NULL));
+		seeded = 1;
+	}
+}
+
+#ifndef CONFIG_SSL
+
+static void
+pseudorandom_nonce(unsigned char buf[], size_t size)
+{
+	static int initialized = 0;
+	static int accept_bits;
+	static int accept_mask;
+	unsigned int got_mask;
+	unsigned int got_random;
+	size_t index;
+	
+	if (!initialized) {
+		unsigned int shift;
+
+		seed_rand_once();
+
+		/* 32767 <= RAND_MAX <= INT_MAX.  Find the largest
+		 * accept_mask such that accept_mask <= RAND_MAX and
+		 * accept_mask + 1 is a power of two.  */
+		shift = RAND_MAX;
+		accept_bits = 0U;
+		accept_mask = 0U;
+		while (shift != 0U) {
+			shift >>= 1;
+			accept_bits++;
+			accept_mask = (accept_mask << 1) + 1U;
+		}
+		if (accept_mask > (unsigned int) RAND_MAX) {
+			accept_bits--;
+			accept_mask >>= 1;
+		}
+
+		initialized = 1;
+	}
+	
+	got_mask = got_random = 0U;
+	for (index = 0; index < size; ) {
+		if (got_mask >= UCHAR_MAX) {
+			buf[index++] = (unsigned char) got_random;
+			got_mask >>= CHAR_BIT;
+			got_random >>= CHAR_BIT;
+		} else {
+			unsigned int candidate;
+
+			do {
+				candidate = rand();
+			} while (candidate > accept_mask);
+
+			/* These shifts can discard some bits.  */
+			got_mask = (got_mask << accept_bits) | accept_mask;
+			got_random = (got_random << accept_bits) | candidate;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+/** Fill a buffer with random bytes.  The bytes are not
+ * cryptographically random enough to be used in a key, but they
+ * should be good enough for a nonce or boundary string that may
+ * be sent in cleartext.
+ *
+ * If CONFIG_SSL is defined, then this function is instead defined in
+ * src/network/ssl/ssl.c, and it gets random numbers directly from the
+ * selected SSL library.  */
+void
+random_nonce(unsigned char buf[], size_t size)
+{
+	size_t i = 0;
+	FILE *f = fopen("/dev/urandom", "rb");
+
+	if (!f) f = fopen("/dev/prandom", "rb"); /* OpenBSD */
+	if (f) {
+		i = fread(data, 1, length, f);
+		fclose(f);
+	}
+
+	/* If the random device did not exist or could not provide
+	 * enough data, then fill the buffer with rand().  The
+	 * resulting numbers may be predictable but they provide
+	 * ELinks with at least some way to generate boundary strings
+	 * for multipart uploads.  A more secure algorithm and entropy
+	 * collection could be implemented, but there doesn't seem to
+	 * be much point as SSL libraries already provide this
+	 * facility.  */
+	if (i < size)
+		pseudorandom_nonce(buf + i, size - i);
+}
+
+#endif	/* ndef CONFIG_SSL */
diff --git a/src/util/random.h b/src/util/random.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd4bb49ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/random.h
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+/** Random numbers.
+ * @file */
+
+#ifndef EL__UTIL_RANDOM_H
+#define EL__UTIL_RANDOM_H
+
+void seed_rand_once(void);
+
+void random_nonce(unsigned char buf[], size_t size);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/viewer/text/form.c b/src/viewer/text/form.c
index b8adf1043..68c7276a6 100644
--- a/src/viewer/text/form.c
+++ b/src/viewer/text/form.c
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 #include "util/error.h"
 #include "util/file.h"
 #include "util/memory.h"
+#include "util/random.h"
 #include "util/string.h"
 #include "viewer/action.h"
 #include "viewer/text/draw.h"
@@ -834,14 +835,8 @@ static void
 randomize_boundary(unsigned char *data, int length)
 {
 	int i;
-	FILE *f = fopen("/dev/urandom", "rb");
 
-	if (!f) f = fopen("/dev/prandom", "rb"); /* OpenBSD */
-	if (f) {
-		fread(data, 1, length, f);
-		fclose(f);
-	}
-	/* FIXME. What if both fails */
+	random_nonce(data, length);
 	for (i = 0; i < length; i++) {
 		/* Only [0-9A-Za-z]. */
 		data[i] = data[i] & 63;