NON-NETWORKED RFID-PUF AUTHENTICATION

• US 20100127822A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verayo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verayo, Inc.
• Inventors: Devadas, Srinivas
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.800
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3278 using physically unclonable functions [PUF]

Abstract

An integrated circuit includes a sequence generator configured to generate a series of challenges; a hidden output generator configured to generate a series of hidden outputs, each hidden output a function of a corresponding challenge in the series of challenges; and bit reduction circuitry configured to generate a response sequence including a plurality of response parts, each response part a function of a corresponding plurality of hidden outputs.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a sequence generator configured to generate a series of challenges;

a hidden output generator configured to generate a series of hidden outputs, each hidden output a function of a corresponding challenge in the series of challenges; and

bit reduction circuitry configured to generate a response sequence including a plurality of response parts, each response part a function of a corresponding plurality of hidden outputs.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising a nonvolatile memory configured to store encrypted data corresponding to at least one of the series of hidden outputs or parameters derived based on the series of hidden outputs.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the sequence generator is configured to generate the series of challenges on the basis of a first seed inputted into the integrated circuit.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the sequence generator is further configured to generate the series of challenges on the basis of a second seed generated by the integrated circuit.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the sequence generator comprises:

a first generator configured to generate a series of generator values; and

an index register configured to select a subset of the bits of each generator value, each subset forming a challenge in the series of challenges.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein the first generator includes a linear feedback shift register.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein each response part in the response sequence is a nonlinear function of the corresponding plurality of hidden outputs.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein each response part in the response sequence is determined on the basis of a number of bits having a value of one in the corresponding plurality of hidden outputs.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein the bit reduction circuitry comprises:

counting circuitry configured to, for each response part in the response sequence, count a first number of bits having a value of one in a first portion of the corresponding plurality of hidden outputs and a second number of bits having a value of one in a second portion of the corresponding plurality of hidden outputs; and

comparison circuitry configured to compare the first number of bits and the second number of bits,

wherein the result of the comparison forms the corresponding response part in the response sequence.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the hidden output generator includes physically unclonable function (PUF) circuitry.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the PUF circuitry comprises delay-based PUF circuitry.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the hidden output generator further comprises involution logic configured to apply a plurality of permutation functions to each challenge to generate a corresponding plurality of inner challenges, and

wherein the hidden output generator is configured to generate a subseries of hidden outputs corresponding to each challenge in the series of challenges, each hidden output in the subseries of hidden outputs generated by application of one of the inner challenges to the PUF circuitry.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12, further comprising comparison circuitry configured to compare the hidden outputs in the subseries of hidden outputs.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the hidden output generator comprises:

first PUF circuitry and second PUF circuitry, each PUF circuitry configured to generate a PUF output based on a first challenge in the series of challenges; and

comparison circuitry configured to compare the PUF output generated by the first PUF circuitry and the PUF output generated by the second PUF circuitry, the result of the comparison forming the hidden output corresponding to the first challenge.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the PUF circuitry is configured to generate a first PUF output based on a first challenge in the series of challenges and to generate a second PUF output based on a second challenge in the series of challenges, and

wherein the hidden output generator further comprises comparison circuitry configured to compare the first PUF output and the second PUF output, the result of the comparison forming the hidden output corresponding to the first challenge.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the hidden output generator further comprises bit expansion circuitry configured to generate an inner challenge based on a first challenge in the series of challenges, the inner challenge longer than the first challenge,

wherein the PUF circuitry is configured to generate a PUF output based on the inner challenge.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, further comprising comparison circuitry configured to compare each PUF output with a corresponding polarity bit, the result of each comparison forming a hidden output.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising access control circuitry configured to receive a value inputted into the integrated circuit and, on the basis of the received value, to allow the series of hidden outputs to be outputted from the integrated circuit.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the access control circuitry comprises:

one-way circuitry configured to apply a one-way function to the received value;

comparison circuitry configured to compare the result of the one-way function with a device-specific value stored in the integrate circuit; and

enabler circuitry configured to receive the result of the comparison and, based on the received result, to allow the series of hidden outputs to be outputted from the integrated circuit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least a part of the one-way circuitry forms part of the circuitry of the sequence generator.

21. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein each hidden output is a function of characteristics of the hidden output generator that vary due to fabrication characteristics among a plurality of like integrated circuits.

22. A method for authenticating an integrated circuit using an authentication station, comprising:

on the integrated circuit, performing the steps of;

generating a series of challenges;

generating a series of hidden outputs, each hidden output a function of a corresponding challenge in the series of challenges; and

generating a response sequence including a plurality of response parts, each response part a function of a corresponding plurality of hidden outputs.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing the response sequence to the authentication station.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising, at the authentication station, performing the steps of:

receiving the series of hidden outputs from the integrated circuit;

receiving the response sequence from the integrated circuit;

using the series of hidden outputs, determining a simulated response sequence; and

determining whether the received response sequence is substantially equivalent to the simulated response sequence.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising enrolling the integrated circuit.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein enrolling the integrated circuit comprises:

providing at least one of the series of hidden outputs or parameters derived based on the series of hidden outputs to the authentication station;

receiving, from the authentication station, encrypted data corresponding to the series of hidden outputs or to the parameters derived based on the series of hidden outputs; and

storing the encrypted data in a nonvolatile memory on the integrated circuit.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the parameters derived based on the series of hidden outputs comprise a parameterized form of the series of hidden outputs.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the series of hidden outputs is provided to the authentication station on the basis of a password received from the authentication station.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein enrolling the integrated circuit comprises:

receiving the password from the authentication station;

performing a one-way function on the password;

comparing the result of the one-way function with a value stored on the integrated circuit; and

based on the result of the comparison, providing the series of hidden outputs to the authentication station.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the series of challenges comprises generating the series of challenges on the basis of a first seed generated by the authentication station.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein generating the series of challenges further comprises generating the series of challenges on the basis of a second seed generated by the integrated circuit.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the series of challenges comprises:

generating a series of generator values; and

selecting a subset of the bits of each generator value, each selected subset forming a challenge in the series of challenges.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the response sequence includes, for each response part in the response sequence, operating on the corresponding plurality of hidden outputs with a nonlinear function.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein generating a series of hidden outputs includes generating the series of hidden outputs using physical unclonable function (PUF) circuitry.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein using PUF circuitry includes using delay-based PUF circuitry.

36. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the series of hidden outputs includes generating a subseries of hidden outputs corresponding to each challenge in the series of challenges.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein generating the series of hidden outputs further includes:

applying a plurality of permutation functions to a first challenge to generate a corresponding plurality of inner challenges;

applying each inner challenge to PUF circuitry to generate a corresponding hidden output in the subseries of hidden outputs corresponding to the first challenge; and

comparing the hidden outputs in subseries corresponding to the first challenge.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein generating the series of hidden bit outputs comprises:

using first PUF circuitry, generating a first PUF output based on a first challenge in the series of challenges;

using second PUF circuitry, generating a second PUF output based on the first challenge; and

comparing the first PUF output and the second PUF output, the result of the comparison forming the hidden output corresponding to the first challenge.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein generating the series of hidden outputs comprises:

generating a first PUF output based on a first challenge in the series of challenges;

generating a second PUF output based on a second challenge in the series of challenges; and

comparing the first PUF output and the second PUF output, the result of the comparison forming the hidden output corresponding to the first challenge.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein generating the series of hidden outputs comprises:

generating an inner challenge based on a first challenge in the series of challenges, the inner challenge longer than the first challenge; and

using the PUF circuitry to generate the hidden output based on the inner challenge.