Tripartite Authentication Using PUF Sensor for Secure Data Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic systems equipped with measurement sensors for user authentication lack comprehensive security throughout the processing chain, making them vulnerable to data integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity threats, especially in emergency situations.

Innovation Solution

An electronic system implementing challenge-response type authentication using a Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) sensor, where sensor authentication is performed first, followed by user authentication, with data encryption using a shared encryption key calculated from challenge and response data, ensuring secure data exchange and mutual authentication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If challenge-response authentication is implemented using PUF sensors, then security and trust level are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The authentication system is divided into distinct modules: PUF sensor module for generating challenge-response pairs, encryption module for key management, and authentication module for verification. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall security, resolving the contradiction between enhanced security and device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The PUF sensor characteristics are measured and stored as reference data during device manufacturing before deployment. This preliminary action enables rapid authentication during operation without requiring complex real-time analysis, thereby improving security while minimizing operational complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If sensor authentication is performed before user authentication, then data integrity is improved, but authentication time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrityVSAvoidauthentication time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor authentication using PUF challenge-response pairs is performed as a preliminary step before user authentication. The PUF-based sensor verification ensures data integrity by confirming the sensor's identity and preventing tampering, while the pre-computed challenge-response pairs enable rapid verification that minimizes additional authentication time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4443815A1Electronic system with tripartite authentication between a user, a sensor and the electronic system

Publication Date: 2024.10.09 COMMISSARIAT A LENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES

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Figure 3

AI summary

An electronic system (100) performing challenge-response authentication of a user (107) and a sensor (104), comprising: - the sensor authenticating the user and including a PUF; - a memory device (106) storing valid identification data of the user and the sensor; - a computer (102); the electronic system being configured to: - implement challenge-response authentication of the sensor, in which sensor response data are generated by the sensor's PUF, and then - when the sensor is authenticated as valid, implement challenge-response authentication of the user, during which data exchanged between the computer and the sensor are encrypted using a first encryption key calculated from sensor challenge data and sensor response data, the first encryption key being shared between the computer and the sensor.