Researchers presented new techniques to fight sophisticated hacking at a tech conference. Here are the highlights:
Self-destruct chips:
- A team from Vermont and Marvell created chips with unique fingerprints that can destroy themselves (through increased voltage) if tampered with. This prevents both counterfeiting and unauthorized access to information.
- Probe detection: Columbia and Intel researchers developed a circuit that detects probes attached to a circuit board, preventing hackers from gaining physical control of a system.
- Signal Obscuring: Researchers from Texas and Intel created a method to hide a chip’s power and electromagnetic signals, making it harder for attackers to steal information.
These innovations could improve chip security and save businesses billions from chip counterfeiting.
Comments
NGL. After I saw “Self-destruct chips”, I was just overwhelmed by Mission Impossible theme song.
sounds like it closes a data theft vector but opens one hell of a ddos DoS vector in its place.
Of a permanent DoS, like frying a chip remotely. Things which were urban legends in my childhood are being made reality.
I don’t think greed’s the problem, it’s necessary for survival of a society. But like many other necessary things it should be contained, and right now it really isn’t.
Still, having this option can’t be a bad thing. Ultimately it’s an engineer (or PM I suppose) that decides to use this chip based on the product requirements.
Sometimes you want to fail closed, or purposefully fail catastrophically if some constraints aren’t met.
