Tamper Resistant Lock Assembly Using Physical Unclonable Functions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current locking systems, particularly in vehicles, rely on electronic control units and lack robust security measures against tampering and malware attacks, as they can be compromised without requiring physical presence, leading to potential unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
A tamper-resistant lock system utilizing user-customizable keys and receivers with physical unclonable functions (PUFs) that require physical presence for authentication, incorporating personalization fuses and anti-theft sensors to prevent duplication and ensure secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electronic control units are used for locking systems, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability is worsened due to vulnerability to tampering and malware attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system is divided into separate functional components: the key device contains a first PUF circuit, the receiver contains a second PUF circuit, and they communicate through defined interfaces. This segmentation isolates the cryptographic functions in dedicated hardware modules, making the system more resistant to tampering while maintaining electronic operation convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical key systems and standard electronic authentication with physical unclonable function (PUF) based authentication. The PUF circuits generate unique cryptographic responses based on physical manufacturing variations, providing tamper-resistant authentication that combines the convenience of electronic operation with enhanced security against malware and tampering attacks.
2Reliability
If physical unclonable functions are implemented, then reliability is improved through unique authentication, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The PUF circuits serve multiple functions: they generate unique authentication credentials, provide tamper detection capabilities, and enable secure key generation. By integrating these multiple security functions into single hardware modules (the key device and receiver with PUF circuits), the system achieves high reliability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The PUF circuits automatically generate unique cryptographic responses based on their physical manufacturing characteristics without requiring external programming or configuration. This self-service property simplifies the system architecture by eliminating the need for complex key management infrastructure, thereby improving reliability while keeping device complexity manageable.
3Reliability
If personalization fuses are activated, then reliability is improved through customized authentication, but ease of manufacture is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The personalization fuses are activated during the manufacturing process to pre-configur e each PUF circuit with its unique authentication credentials. This preliminary action ensures that each device is securely personalized before deployment, improving reliability while allowing mass production through automated fuse activation processes that integrate into existing manufacturing workflows.
Data Source
AI summary
A user-customizable locking assembly includes a user-customizable key, a user-customizable key receiver, and a key receiver receptacle. Each of the user-customizable key, a user-customizable key receiver, and a key receiver receptacle includes a physical unclonable function (PUF) circuit configured to provide a PUF response in response to receiving a challenge signal. The PUF circuits of the user-customizable key and a user-customizable key receiver include personalization fuses that allow a user to further personalize or change the PUF response produced by the corresponding PUF circuits. The key receiver receptacle also includes anti-theft fuses, which are activated if the user-customizable key receiver is removed from the key receiver receptacle. In use, a protected system may utilize the PUF responses from the each of the PUF circuits to authenticate the user-customizable locking assembly.