We obtain nontrivial estimates of quadratic character sums of division polynomials $\Psi_n(P)$, $n=1,2, \dots$, evaluated at a given point $P$ on an elliptic curve over a finite field of $q$ elements. Our bounds are nontrivial if the order of $P$ is at least $q^{1/2 + \varepsilon}$ for some fixed $\varepsilon > 0$. This work is motivated by an open question about statistical indistinguishability of some cryptographically relevant sequences that was recently brought up by K. Lauter and the second author.

and fibre type for elliptic curves over discrete valued fields of equal characteristic~3. Along the same lines, partial results are obtained in equal characteristic~2.

For an integer $n$, let $d(n)$ denote the ordinary divisor function. This paper studies the asymptotic behavior of the sum $$ S(x) := \sum_{m\leq x, n\leq x} d(m^2 + n^2). $$ It is proved in the paper that, as $x \to \infty$, $$ S(x) := A_1 x^2 \log x + A_2 x^2 + O_\epsilon (x^{\frac32 + \epsilon}), $$ where $A_1$ and $A_2$ are certain constants and $\epsilon$ is any fixed positive real number. The result corrects a false formula given in a paper of Gafurov concerning the same problem, and improves the error $O \bigl( x^{\frac53} (\log x)^9 \bigr)$ claimed by Gafurov.