Seoul researchers make flash-based security method that hides coding keys until necessary
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- Flash memory now doubles as a safe key storage with the help of a hidden and reveal method
- Coding keys Hidden in normal view in standard Commercial 3D Nand memory
- Machine Learning -attacks could not guess the keys, with real randomness and security
As the digital data volume continues to grow with the rise of AI, cloud services and connected devices, making that data increasingly difficult.
Traditional password-based protections are no longer enough, and although hardware security solutions such as physical uncontrollable functions (puffs) offer stronger protection, they have struggled with Real-World implementation.
Most puffs require adapted hardware and lack the ability to hide keys when they are not in use, so that systems are exposed.
Unique and unpredictable
A research team from Seoul National University has introduced a new hardware security approach called Cemalable Puf. This method uses commercial 3D Nand -Flash memory, usually found in regular storage devices, to make a safe method for storing and hiding coding keys.
What distinguishes this is the ability to hide a key under user data and only to reveal it when needed. The technology was recently published in Nature communication.
The most important innovation includes a weak application of the GIDL (gate-induced drain leak) alternating process. This stimulates the variation between memory cells, making the characteristics of each chip unique and unpredictable.
These variations can be used to generate the puff data that serve as a safe, unclear key.
With this approach, no structural or circuit changes are required. The method works directly with the standard V-Nand-Flash memory, making it easier to scale.
This makes it possible to make the protection of hardware level be implemented in daily consumer electronics without extra costs or complexity.
The university says that the hidden puff stress tests has passed, including broad temperature ranges and more than 10 million reading cycles. It also passed on machine learning -based attacks, which could not predict the key that goes beyond random gambling levels.
The key was impressive to be hidden and revealed more than 100 times without errors, with the stability of the system.
Professor Jong-Ho Lee, who led the project, said: “Concalable Puf distinguishes itself because of his creativity and usability, because it uses without changes in the mass-produced vertical Nand-Flash memory technology.”
Lead author Sung-Ho Park added: “This research is important because it demonstrates how puffs can be implemented using the Ease effect of existing V-Nand-Flash memory without changing the circuit or design. By selective exposure of the security key, our method is opened to improve both memory.”
The team plans to expand this technology to other security-oriented hardware solutions, aimed at industries such as IoT, Mobile and Automotive Electronics.
By Techxplore
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