Systems and methods using search engines to generate cryptographic keys from erratic physical unclonable functions

US12126740B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of Northern Arizona University · US
• Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce · US

Inventors

• Bertrand F. Cambou · Flagstaff, US
• Sareh Assiri · Flagstaff, US
• Christopher Robert Philabaum · Flagstaff, US
• H. Shelton Jacinto · Rome, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 25, 2022
• Grant date: Oct 22, 2024
• Expiry date: Feb 11, 2043

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L9/14
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing authentication and secure cryptographic communication between a client and server are described. The client includes an addressable array of PUF devices. The client receives or generates a set of instructions usable to determine a range of PUF addresses. The client measures the PUF addresses and generates a first set of responses. The responses are used to encrypt a session key, which is stored, along with the instructions and a hash of the responses, at the client. Later, the client may recover the session key by using the instructions to measure the PUF again, resulting in a second set of responses. Using a response-based cryptography search engine, the client may then iteratively modify and hash the second set of responses until a response set is uncovered that matches the first response set. This modified response set may then be used to uncover the session key.