Circuit that includes a physically unclonable function
| DWPI Title: System for facilitating authentication of integrated circuits (ICs) through physically unclonable function (PUF)-based authentication, has response authenticator that outputs indication of authentication status of device |
| Abstract: Described herein are various technologies pertaining to authentication of integrated circuits by using external factors to affect or modify an output of a physically unclonable function (PUF) circuit. In an example, the output of the PUF circuit in response to a challenge signal can be sensitive to changes in environmental factors. In another example, the output of the PUF circuit can be sensitive to user-selectable configuration parameters of the PUF circuit. In yet another example, the output of the PUF circuit can be modified by additional circuitry external to the PUF circuit based upon one or more selectable or configurable inputs. A PUF-based device authentication system that uses external factors as authentication inputs to affect a challenge response of the device authentication system can enhance authentication capabilities by permitting multi-factor authentication. |
| Use: System for facilitating authentication of integrated circuits (ICs) through physically unclonable function (PUF)-based authentication. |
| Advantage: The device authentication system interrogates the PUF circuit to provide the seed to regenerate the public-private key pair, and responsive to receiving the encrypted challenge signal. The output transform component provide a unit to enhance authentication capabilities of existing PUF circuit designs by allowing factors other than the challenge issued to the PUF circuit by the challenge source to affect the output of the device authentication system. The system permit independent, secure authentication among many users by allowing the users to each independently modify the authentication input, resulting in a challenge response that is unique for each user. |
| Novelty: The system (100) has a PUF circuit. A challenge source (108) provides a challenge signal to the PUF circuit, and the challenge signal is configured to cause the PUF circuit to output a challenge response. The challenge response is based upon the challenge signal and an authentication input condition provided by a stimulation source. A response authenticator (112) is configured to output an indication of an authentication status of a device based upon the challenge response, and the device comprises the PUF circuit. |
| Filed: 3/22/2016 |
| Application Number: US15077488A |
| Tech ID: SD 12292.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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