A PUF-Based Key Storage Scheme Using Fuzzy Vault

Area of Science:

• Hardware security
• Applied cryptography
• Information theory

Background:

• Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) offer low-cost security anchors for key generation.
• Traditional schemes use helper data algorithms to stabilize PUF responses for key extraction.
• Existing methods require separate encryption for secret data storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for direct secret data storage using PUF responses.
• To leverage error-tolerant Fuzzy Vault algorithms with both weak and strong PUFs.
• To explore new applications for strong PUFs beyond traditional key generation.

Main Methods:

• Implemented an error-tolerant Fuzzy Vault algorithm directly on PUF fuzzy responses.
• Developed distinct locking and unlocking mechanisms tailored for weak and strong PUFs.
• Evaluated performance on existing weak and strong PUF designs, testing parameters and environments.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 100% unlocking rate through parameter adjustment.
• Demonstrated locking times under 1 second and unlocking times of a few seconds.
• Validated the approach on both weak and strong PUF architectures.

Conclusions:

• Fuzzy Vault with PUF responses provides a viable alternative to traditional encryption for secure data storage.
• The proposed method efficiently utilizes the unique properties of both weak and strong PUFs.
• The study highlights a new direction for leveraging PUFs in practical security applications, balancing security, reliability, and overhead.