PUF-Based IC Authentication Using Challenge-Response Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated circuits face security threats due to counterfeiting and cloning, and the authentication process is resource-intensive, leading to slower results and higher power consumption.
Innovation Solution
An integrated circuit employing a challenge-response method with a physically unclonable function (PUF) block that generates internal challenges and responses, using screen information to select valid challenges and reduce the need for excessive PUF cell usage, thereby enhancing authentication efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authentication methods are used, then authentication security is improved, but power consumption increases and authentication time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is segmented into two distinct modes: registration mode (performed once during manufacturing) and authentication mode (performed during operation). This segmentation allows computationally intensive operations to be confined to the registration phase, while the authentication phase uses pre-computed data structures for efficient verification with minimal power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
During the registration mode, the system performs preliminary actions by generating multiple internal challenges, selecting valid ones based on screen information, and storing the corresponding valid internal responses in a lookup table. This preliminary computation enables the authentication mode to quickly retrieve and verify responses without performing intensive calculations, thereby reducing power consumption and authentication time.
2Reliability
If traditional authentication methods are used, then authentication security is improved, but authentication time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions during registration mode by pre-generating and validating multiple internal challenges, then storing the valid challenge-response pairs in a lookup table. During authentication mode, the system only needs to retrieve the pre-computed response from the lookup table using the received challenge as an index, dramatically reducing authentication time while maintaining security through the PUF-based challenge-response mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the valid internal responses and stores them in a lookup table during registration mode. During authentication, instead of re-computing responses, the system retrieves the pre-computed copy from the lookup table, enabling fast authentication without repeating the intensive PUF evaluation process, thus reducing authentication time while maintaining security.
3Reliability
If PUF block generates multiple internal challenges, then authentication security is improved, but resource usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by using screen information (Hamming weight values) to selectively identify and store only the valid internal challenges and their corresponding responses in the lookup table. This selective approach ensures that only necessary PUF cells and challenges are utilized, optimizing resource usage while maintaining authentication security through the validated challenge-response pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system generates multiple internal challenges during registration mode to ensure sufficient valid challenges are available, but then uses screen information to filter and store only the valid ones in the lookup table. This partial action approach generates more challenges than immediately needed to account for potential invalidity, but ultimately stores only the necessary valid pairs, balancing resource usage with authentication security and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an integrated circuit and a method of using the integrated circuit used to perform authentication using a challenge-response method. The challenge-response method includes an internal challenge generator, a physically unclonable function (PUF) block, and a response generator. The internal challenge generator is configured to receive a challenge, generate a plurality of internal challenges corresponding to the challenge, and generate at least one valid internal challenge among the plurality of internal challenges using screen information. The physically unclonable function (PUF) block is configured to generate a plurality of valid internal responses respectively changing according to the plurality of valid internal challenges. The response generator is configured to output a response generated using the plurality of valid internal responses.