A method and apparatus for generating shared session keys. The method and apparatus does not rely on strong random number generation. The first node sends a timestamp and random sequence to the second node. The second node generates a message authentication code (MAC) using this data and a shared secret key. The MAC is then used to encrypt a reply containing a second timestamp and second random sequence from the second node. The first node receives this message and decrypts it by generating the same MAC. Both nodes then generate a session key using the shared set of timestamps and random sequences.