Use of Physical Unclonable Keys to secure blockchain-connected electronic devices

Connected devices that are part of the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) need to update its firmware or communicate with unknown parties during its lifetime. The main problem is that updates and communication lines could be used by attackers to inject malicious code and/or steal secret keys. This talk presents a lightweight protocol to authenticate each device in a secure way. The cryptographic keys employed are fresh and are not stored but reconstructed by exploiting the Physical Unclonable Functions (PUF) of the hardware. Use cases of this protocol in blockchain architectures will be discussed, as well as the impact this technology could have on society.

Speaker: Miguel Ángel Prada, Ph.D. Candidate at university of Seville