A team of researchers from NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering has developed a novel technique that allows Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) to produce more secure, unique ‘fingerprint’ outputs at a very low cost. This achievement elevates the level of hardware security even in low-end systems on chips. 

Traditionally, PUFs are embedded in several commercial chips to uniquely distinguish one silicon chip from another by generating a secret key, similar to an individual fingerprint.  Such a technology prevents hardware piracy, chip counterfeiting and physical attacks.

The research team from NUS has taken silicon chip fingerprinting to the next level with two significant improvements: firstly, making PUFs self-healing; and secondly, enabling them to self-conceal. 

Read more on: https://news.nus.edu.sg/research/new-silicon-chip-fingerprint-stronger-hardware-security-low-cost