Hamza Al-Far

Topic

A Novel Approach to PUF-based Hardware Security: Noise-aware Authentication and Key Exchange Protocol

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Date & location

• Friday, May 10, 2024

• 11:00 A.M.

• Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Fayez Gebali, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Haytham El Miligi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic (Co-Supervisor) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Khalil El-Khatib, Faculty of Business and Information, Ontario Tech University 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Mauricio Garcia-Barrera, Department of Psychology, UVic

   

Abstract

This dissertation proposes a novel approach to PUF-based IoT security. PUFs are used to provide a unique identity to the IoT device using it. However, the authentication process can be undermined by the noisy responses of PUFs. Traditional error correction codes can address this issue but increase system complexity, overhead, and security risks. To overcome these limitations, the study proposes an innovative approach that leverages a statistical analysis technique to extract the relevant information from the PUF response bits, resulting in a strengthened authentication key. The proposed method achieves an innovative authentication and key exchange protocol with enhanced security without traditional error correction codes. The results of evaluating the approach with synthetic PUF data demonstrate a significant improvement in PUF-based security. This study represents a significant step towards enhancing the security of IoT devices, demonstrating the potential of a unique combination of PUF and the statistical analysis approach in addressing the challenges of hardware-based security.